GOVERNMENT
Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. The unicameral National Assembly, or Narodno Subranie, consists of 240 deputies who are elected for 4-year terms through a system of proportional representation in 31 electoral regions. Party or coalition lists, rather than individual candidate names, appear on the ballots. A party or coalition must garner a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament selects and dismisses government ministers, including the prime minister, exercises control over the government, and sanctions deployment of troops abroad. It is responsible for enactment of laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, declaration of war, and ratification of international treaties and agreements.
A one-month official campaign period precedes general elections. The voting age
is 18. Preliminary results are available within hours of poll closings. Seats in
parliament are allocated both by vote and by voter turnout. The votes for
parties who did not receive a minimum threshold of votes are redistributed to
other parties proportionate to their own share of the vote. The lists of newly
elected members of parliament are announced 7 days after the elections. The
president must convene the new parliament within one month after the elections,
and calls upon parties, coalitions, or political groups to nominate a prime
minister and form a government. If the three largest parties, coalitions, or
political groups fail to nominate a prime minister, the president can dissolve
parliament and schedule new elections. In recent years, it has taken
approximately a month for the new government to form.
A general election in Bulgaria was held June 25, 2005. Results are as follows: Coalition for Bulgaria (CfB) 31.1%, National Movement Simeon II (NMSS) 19.9%, Movement for Rights and Freedom (MRF) 12.7%, Ataka 8.2%, United Democratic Forces (UDF) 7.7%, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) 6.5%, Bulgarian People's Union (BPU) 5.2%.
In May 2007, Bulgaria held its first elections for members of the European Parliament. The GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) party, led by Sofia Mayor Boyko Borisov, won the vote by a narrow margin over the Socialists (BSP) and secured 5 out of 18 seats. The BSP won 5 seats, the MRF won 4 seats, Ataka won 3 seats, and Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha's NMSS won 1 seat.
The president of Bulgaria 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 is the head of the Consultative Council
for National Security and while unable to initiate legislation, the president
can return a bill for further debate. Parliament can overturn the president's
veto with a simple majority vote. Bulgarian Socialist Party candidate Georgi
Parvanov won the November 2001 presidential election and was re-elected in
October 2006 as an independent candidate in a run-off against Volen Siderov, the
leader of extreme nationalist Ataka Party.
The prime minister is head of the Council of Ministers, which is the primary
component of the executive branch. In addition to the prime minister and deputy
prime ministers, the Council is composed of ministers who head the various
agencies within the government and usually come from the majority/ruling party
or from a member party of the ruling coalition in parliament. The Council 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 prime minister.
The Council 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 prime minister.
The Bulgarian judicial system became an independent branch of the government
following passage of the 1991 constitution. Reform within this branch was
initially slow. In 1994, the National Assembly passed the Judicial Powers Act to
further delineate the role of the judiciary. In 2003, Bulgaria adopted
amendments to the constitution, which aimed to improve the effectiveness of the
judicial system by limiting magistrates’ irremovability and immunity against criminal prosecution.
The trial, appellate, and cassation (highest appellate) courts comprise the
three tiers of the judicial system. Military courts (at trial and appeal level)
handle cases involving military and Ministry of Interior personnel.
Administrative courts, effective since March 2007, specialize in reviewing
appeals of government acts.
The Supreme Administrative Court and the Supreme Court of Cassation are the highest courts of appeal and determine the application of all laws.
The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is composed of 25 members serving 5-year terms. Those who serve on the council are experienced legal professionals and are either appointed by the National Assembly, selected by the judicial system, or serve on the SJC as a result of their position in government. The SJC manages the judiciary and is responsible for appointing judges. In 2007 parliament revised the Judicial Powers Act to make it compliant with the latest constitutional amendments, which provided for the establishment of the Inspectorate with the Supreme Judicial Council: a standing body with 11 members who oversee the activity of all magistrates with no right to rule on the substance of judicial acts.
The court that interprets the constitution and constitutionality of laws and treaties is the Constitutional Court. Its 12 justices serve 9-year terms and are selected by the president, the National Assembly and the Supreme Courts.
Principal Government Officials
President--Georgi Parvanov
Prime Minister--Sergei Stanishev
Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs--Ivailo Kalfin
Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Education--Daniel Valtchev
Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Emergency Situations--Emel Etem
Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of European Funds--Meglena Plugtschieva
Minister of Economy and Energy--Petar Dimitrov
Minister of Finance--Plamen Vassilev Oresharski
Minister of Defense--Nikolai Tsonev
Minister of Interior--Mihail Mikov
Bulgaria's Commissioner to the EU--Meglena Kuneva, Commissioner for Consumer Protection
Bulgaria
maintains an embassy
in the United States at 1621 22nd Street, NW, Washington DC 20008
(tel. 202-387-0174; fax: 202-234-7973).
Type: Parliamentary democracy.
Constitution: Adopted July 12, 1991.
Independence: 1908 (from the Ottoman Empire).
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Legislative--unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Subranie--240 seats. Members are elected by popular vote of party/coalition lists of candidates for 4-year terms. As of January 2008, seat allocation is as follows: CfB--82, NMSS--36, MRF--34, UDF--16, DSB--16, BND--16, BPU--13, Ataka--11, and independents--16. Judicial--three-tiered system.
Administrative divisions: 28 provinces plus the capital region of Sofia.
Suffrage: Universal at 18 years of age.
Main political parties: Coalition of Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP); Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP); National Movement Simeon II (NMSS); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF); United Democratic Forces (UDF); Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB); Bulgarian Peoples Union (BPU); Bulgarian New Democracy or BND (a parliamentary group formed by NMSS defectors); Attack Coalition (ATAKA); and Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB). Results from the June 25, 2005 general election are as follows: CfB 31.1%, NMSS 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%.
