Country Profile
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a Parliamentary Republic in Southeastern Europe.
Bulgaria includes 27 provinces and a metropolitan capital province (Sofia-Grad). All areas take their names from their respective capital cities. The provinces subdivide into 264 Municipalities.
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Municipalities are run by mayors, who are elected to four-year terms, and by directly elected municipal councils.
Most Bulgarians (72.5 per cent) reside in urban areas.
Bulgaria has the highest home ownership rate in the world; about 97 per cent of the population live in privately owned homes.
There is also a very high rate of household appliance ownership, such as television sets (97.9 per cent of all households), refrigerators (93.3) and telephones (90.6), and relatively high rates for computers (42.9) and automobiles (41.9 per cent)
Bulgaria became a member of NATO in 2004 and of the European Union(EU) in 2007.
Capital Sofia
Currency Lev
Population 7.3 Million(2011 Estimate)
Ethnic Groups 85% Bulgarians;9% Turks and 6% Others
Official Language Bulgarian
History
The Communist Uprising in September 1944 led to the abolition of monarchic rule. In 1946 a Single Party People's Republic was established
On Nov 10, 1989 the Bulgarian Communist Party gave up its political monopoly, Todor Zhivkov resigned, and Bulgaria embarked on a transition to a parliamentary democracy.
The first free elections took place in June 1990 and were won by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP, the freshly-renamed Communist Party).
Politics and Govt.of Bulgaria
Bulgaria is a Parliamentary Democracy in which the most powerful executive position is that of the prime minister.The political system has three branches—legislative, executive and judicial, with Universal Suffrage for citizens 18 years of age and older. Elections are supervised by an independent Central Election Commission that includes members from all major political parties. Parties must register with the commission prior to participating in a national election. The prime minister-elect is the leader of the party receiving the most votes in parliamentary elections.
Boyko Borisov is the Current PM of Bulgaria in office from July 27,2009
The President serves as the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and has the authority to return a bill for further debate, although the parliament can override the Presidential Veto by a simple majority vote of all members of parliament.
Rosen Asenov Plevneliev is the 5th and Current President of Bulgaria in office from Jan 22,2012
National Assembly of Bulgaria
The National Assembly(Unicameral Parliament) consists of 240 deputies, each elected for four-year terms by direct popular vote. 209 of the representatives are elected by Proportional Representation in Multi-Seat Constituencies and 31 are elected in single-seat constituencies.The National Assembly has the power to enact laws, approve the budget, schedule presidential elections, select and dismiss the Prime Minister and other ministers, declare war, deploy troops abroad, and ratify international treaties and agreements.
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev Announce a Caretaker Govt
Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev has announced on Tuesday March 12,2013 a caretaker cabinet headed by a diplomat, Marin Raikov, who will organise early elections due in May,following weeks without a government(Prime Minister Boyko Borisov resigned last month following persistent street protests against high energy bills, poverty and corruption)
Bulgarian PM Boiko Borisov Resigns -Wednesday Feb 20,2013
Boiko Borisov,Bulgarian Prime Minister submitted his government’s resignation on Wednesday Feb 20,2013 after a tumultuous week of public anger over rising electricity prices, corruption and austerity measures that ignited mass protests nationwide and led to bloody clashes with the police
The speaker of the Parliament, Tsetska Tsacheva, said that she had received the official letter of resignation and but that it would not take effect until legislators voted on it Thursday Feb 21,2013
Boiko Borisov cited beatings of protesters Tuesday by the police as one reason for his decision. “Every drop of blood for us is a stain,” he said
The resignation of Boiko Borisov and his GERB (Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria) cabinet leaves Bulgaria in turmoil.GERB were trailing in polls to the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party even before the current unrest.
The immediate concern in Bulgaria is stability. Many parallels are being drawn with 1997, when the socialist administration was brought down by street protests.
Elections are scheduled for July, but could be brought forward. The earliest date would be the end of April.
Bulgarian Politician Escapes Gun Assassination Attempt Live on TV - Sunday Jan 20,2013
Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party in Bulgaria, escapes an apparent assassination attempt during a speech being televised live on Saturday, when a man climbs on to the stage and pointed a gun to his head.
Police took Oktai Enimehmedov, 25, into custody after he pulled the gun on Ahmed Dogan, the leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), a party supported by Muslim voters including some Turks in Bulgaria.
Police now say Enimehmedov was holding a gas pistol that was loaded with pepper spray, with two other "bullets" being simply noisemakers. He pointed the gun at Dogan's head during a party congress in the capital, Sofia, but failed to shoot. He was tackled to the ground and beaten by guards and party members as TV cameras continued to roll.
Police said they thought Enimehmedov, an architecture student with a criminal record for drugs, theft and assault, had acted alone.
Enimehmedov, an ethnic Turk, reportedly left a note at his home addressed to his mother, saying he had no intention of killing the party leader but simply wanted to show him he was not "untouchable".
2011 Bulgarian Presidential Election - Oct 23,2011
A presidential election was held in on October23, 2011, with a runoff held on 30 October 2011. No candidate won outright in the first round, resulting in a second round runoff between the eventual winner, Rosen Plevneliev of Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria and Ivaylo Kalfin of the Bulgarian Socialist Party.
Rosen Plevneliev's victory means the ruling party, Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, known as GERB, now controls all the major posts, and has bolstered its push for painful economic reforms in a country where the average monthly salary is £426, unemployment is 11.7%, and levels of corruption remain high.
Election Result
Candidate
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Party
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1st Round
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2nd Round
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Rosen Plevneliev
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Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria
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1,349,380
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40.11%
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1,698,136
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52.58%
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Ivaylo Kalfin
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Bulgarian Socialist Party.
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974,300
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28.96%
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1,531,193
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47.42%
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