Politics of Bulgaria
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Politics of Bulgaria takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Chairman of the Council of Ministers is the head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. Since 1990 Bulgaria has an unstable party system, wherein nowadays the post-communist social democratic Bulgarian Socialist Party and the personalist liberal National Movement Simeon II are dominant. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The U.S. Freedom House rates the country with a 1 on political rights and with a 2 on civil rights (on a scale of 1 to 7 whereas 1 is the most free). Freedom House considers Bulgaria to be a free country.
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[edit] Developments since 1990
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) won the first post-communist Assembly elections in 1990 with a small majority. The BSP government formed at that time was brought down by a general strike in late 1990 and replaced by a transitional coalition government. Meanwhile, Zhelyu Zhelev, a communist-era dissident, was elected President by the Assembly in 1990 and later won Bulgaria's first direct presidential elections, in 1992. Zhelev served until early 1997. The country's first fully democratic Assembly elections, in November 1991, ushered in another coalition government, which was led by the pro-reform Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) in partnership with the Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). This coalition collapsed in late 1992, however, and was succeeded by a technocratic team, put forward by the MRF, which governed at the sufferance of the BSP for 2 years. The BSP won pre-term elections in December 1994 and remained in office until February 1997, when a populace alienated by the BSP's failed, corrupt government demanded its resignation and called for new elections. A caretaker cabinet appointed by the President served until pre-term parliamentary elections in April 1997, which yielded a landslide victory for pro-reform forces led by the UDF in the United Democratic Forces coalition.
In 2001, former King Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha returned to power, this time as Prime Minister with his National Movement Simeon II. The last parliamentary elections took place on 25 June 2005.
On July 27, 2005 the Bulgarian Parliament chose Sergey Stanishev of the Bulgarian Socialist Party as the new Prime Minister in a coalition government with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. The vote was 120 against 119. However, the parliament voted against the cabinet's staff by 119 to 117 votes. Finally, on August 15, 2005, the BSP and National Movement Simeon II formed a stable government, along with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. This grand coalition comprises the three largest parties. This coalition will have a large majority in parliament with 169 of the 240 deputies.
[edit] Main office holders
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Georgi Parvanov | BSP | 22 January 2002 |
| Vice President | Angel Marin | BSP | 22 January 2002 |
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers | Sergey Stanishev | BSP | 17 August 2005 |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs | Ivaylo Kalfin | BSP | 17 August 2005 |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Education and Science | Daniel Valchev | NDSV | 17 August 2005 |
| Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Disaster Management Policy | Emel Etem Toshkova | DPS | 17 August 2005 |
| Chairman of the National Assembly | Georgi Pirinski | BSP | 11 July 2005 |
| Vice Chairman of the National Assembly | Lyuben Kornezov | BSP | 11 July 2005 |
| Vice Chairman of the National Assembly | Kamelia Kasabova | NDSV | 11 July 2005 |
| Vice Chairman of the National Assembly | Yunal Lyutfi | DPS | 11 July 2005 |
| Chairman of the Constitutional Court | Rumen Yankov | 8 November 2006 |
[edit] Executive branch
The president of Bulgaria (Georgi Parvanov since 22 January 2002) is directly elected for a 5-year term with the right to one re-election. The president serves as the head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces. The President's main duties are to schedule elections and referenda, represent Bulgaria abroad, conclude international treaties, and head the Consultative Council for National Security. The President may return legislation to the National Assembly for further debate--a kind of veto--but the legislation can be passed again by a absolute majority vote.
The Council of Ministers is the principal organ of the executive branch. It is usually formed by the majority party in Parliament, if one exists, or by the largest party in Parliament along with coalition partners. Chaired by the Prime Minister, it is responsible for carrying out state policy, managing the state budget, and maintaining law and order. The Council must resign if the National Assembly passes a vote of no confidence in the Council or the Prime Minister or rejects a vote of confidence. The current governmental coalition is made of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), National Movement Simeon II (NMS), and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (representing mainly the Turkish minority).
The Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly. The ministers are:
- Sergey Stanishev - Prime Minister
- Ivaylo Kalfin - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Daniel Valchev - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and Science
- Emel Etem Toshkova - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Disaster Management Policy
- Plamen Oresharski - Minister of Finance
- Rumen Petkov - Minister of Interior Affairs
- Veselin Bliznakov - Minister of Defence
- Georgi Petkanov - Minister of Justice
- Nikolay Vassilev - Minister of Public Administration and Administrative Reform
- Rumen Ovcharov - Minister of Economy and Energy
- Petar Mutafchiev - Minister of Transport
- Asen Gagauzov - Minister of Regional Development and Public Works
- Dzhevdet Chakarov - Minister of Environment and Water
- Nihat Kabil - Minister of Agriculture and Forestry
- Emilia Maslarova - Minister of Labour and Social Policy
- Radoslav Gaydarski - Minister of Health
- Stefan Danailov - Minister of Culture
- Gergana Grancharova - Minister of European Affairs
In addition:
- Anelia Krushkova - State agency for Tourism
- Vesela Lecheva - State agency for Youth and Sport
- Plamen Vachkov - State agency for Information technology and Communications
[edit] Legislative branch
The Bulgarian unicameral parliament, the National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie, consists of 240 deputies who are elected for 4-year-terms by popular vote. The votes are for party or coalition lists of candidates for each of the twenty-eight administrative divisions. A party or coalition must garner a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament is responsible for enactment of laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, selection and dismissal of the prime minister and other ministers, declaration of war, deployment of troops outside of Bulgaria, and ratification of international treaties and agreements.
[edit] Political parties and elections
- For other political parties see List of political parties in Bulgaria. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Bulgaria.
| Coalitions and parties | Votes | % | Seats | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Coalition for Bulgaria (Koalicija za Bălgarija)
|
1,129,196 | 34.0 | 82 | +34 |
| National Movement Simeon II (Nacionalno Dviženie Simeon Vtori) | 725,314 | 21.8 | 53 | -67 |
| Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Dviženie za Prava i Svobodi) | 467,400 | 14.1 | 34 | +13 |
National Union Attack (Nacionalno Obedinenie Ataka)
|
296,848 | 8.9 | 21 | +21 |
United Democratic Forces (Obedineni demokratični sili)
|
280,323 | 8.4 | 20 | -31 |
| Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (Demokrati za Silna Bălgarija) | 234,788 | 7.1 | 17 | +17 |
Bulgarian People's Union (Bălgarski Naroden Săjuz)
|
189,268 | 5.7 | 13 | +13 |
| Total (turnout 55.8%) | 3,648,177 | 100.0 | 240 | |
| Invalid votes | 99,616 | |||
| Votes cast | 3,747,793 | |||
| Registered voters | 6,720,941 | |||
| Source: Centralna Izbiratelna Komisija, Bulgarian parliament and Adam Carr's Electoral Archive | ||||
More info: Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2005
| Candidates and nominating parties | Votes 1st round | % | Votes 2nd round | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgi Parvanov - Bulgarian Socialist Party (Balgarska Socialisticheska Partija) | 1,052,548 | 36.4 | 2,039,311 | 54.1 |
| Petar Stoyanov | 991,606 | 34.9 | 1,726,954 | 45.9 |
| Bogomil Bonev - Citizens'Party of Bulgaria (Graždanska Partija za Balgarija) | 546,713 | 19.3 | - | - |
| Reneta Indzhova - Democratic Alliance (Demokratichen Alians) | 139,676 | 4.9 | - | - |
| Zhorzh Ganchev - Blok Zhorzh Ganchev (Blokat na Zhorzh Ganchev) | 95,471 | 3.4 | - | - |
| Petar Beron - Union for Bulgaria (Sajuz Balgarija) | 31,390 | 1.1 | - | - |
| Total (turnout 39.2 resp. 54.4 %) | 2,837,404 | 100.0 | 3,726,265 | 100.0 |
| Source: News.bg and Adam Carr's Electoral Archive | ||||
[edit] Judicial branch
The Bulgarian judicial system consists of regional, district and appeal courts, as well as a Supreme Court of Cassation. In addition, there is a Supreme Administrative Court and a system of military courts. The Presidents of the Supreme Court of Cassation, Supreme Administrative Court and the Prosecutor General are elected by a qualified majority of two-thirds from all the members of the Supreme Judicial Council and are appointed by the President of the Republic. The Supreme Judicial Council is in charge of the self-administration and organisation of the Judiciary.
The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria is in charge of reviewing the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it, as well as the compliance of these laws with international treaties that the Government has signed. The 12 members of the Constitutional Court serve a nine-year term. Parliament elects 1/3 of them.
[edit] Administrative divisions
The territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is divided into provinces and municipalities. In all Bulgaria has 28 provinces, each headed by a provincial governor appointed by the government. In addition, there are 263 municipalities.
[edit] International relations
ACCT, Australia Group, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU, FAO, G-9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
[edit] Other data
Political pressure groups and leaders:
- Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB
- Confederation of Labour Podkrepa
- numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
[edit] See also
Albania · Andorra · Armenia2 · Austria · Azerbaijan4 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus2 · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia4 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan1 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia1 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey1 · Ukraine · United Kingdom · Vatican City
Dependencies, autonomies and other territories
Abkhazia4 · Adjara2 · Åland · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Kosovo · Nagorno-Karabakh2 · Nakhichevan2 · Transnistria · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus2, 3
1 Has significant territory in Asia. 2 Entirely in West Asia, but considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons. 3 Only recognised by Turkey. 4 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the definition of the border between Europe and Asia.
