Elections in Bulgaria

Bulgaria
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Bulgaria

Bulgaria elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term directly by the people. The National Assembly (Narodno Sabranie) has 240 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies with a 4% threshold. Bulgaria has a multi-party system, in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each to form governments.

Parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections have been held in Bulgaria since 1879. There was a period when partisan politics was banned from 1934 to 1944; in the wake of the Bulgarian coup d'état of 1934 and the sequential personal rule of Tsar Boris III. There was also period of single party system between 1945 and 1989, during the People's Republic of Bulgaria, during which only candidates sanctioned by authorities could run. This, in practice, gave the Bulgarian Communist Party and its collaborators a monopoly on power.

Until 1945 there was no universal suffrage for the women. The table below show the elections since 1990, when the government became a democratic republic.

All elections since 1990 have had 240 members, elected for a four-year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies with a 4% threshold. The two elections that differed from this model was the 1990 Grand National Assembly election, where 400 representatives were elected: half by proportional representation and half by first-past-the-post voting. The other exception was the 2009 election when 209 representatives were elected by proportional representation and 31 through first past the post; seats corresponding to the provinces and the largest cities.

Recent elections

Party Votes % Seats +/–
GERB1,072,49132.6784–13
BSP - Left Bulgaria505,52715.4039–45
Movement for Rights and Freedoms487,13414.8438+2
Reformist Bloc291,8068.8923+23
Patriotic Front239,1017.2819+19
Bulgaria without Censorship186,9385.6915New
Attack148,2624.5211–12
Alternative for Bulgarian Revival136,2234.1511New
Movement 2139,2211.200New
People's Voice37,3351.1400
The Greens19,9900.6100
Republic BG18,9010.580New
New Bulgaria12,6280.390New
New Alternative11 5830.3500
United Bulgaria10,8310.330New
Bulgarian Social Democracy9,4310.290New
National Movement for Stability and Progress7,9170.240New
Party of the Greens7,4560.230New
The Rights7,2340.220New
Left and the Green Party7,0100.210New
New Democracy5,5590.170New
New Force5,5530.170New
Social Democratic Party5,3980.1600
Community for New Bulgaria4,6150.140New
New Time3,8360.120New
Invalid/blank votes218,125–––
Total3,501,2691002400
Registered voters/turnout6,858,30451.05––
Source: CIK

Presidential election

Presidential elections have been held since 1992. From 1996 onwards, Presidential elections are held every five years.

Candidate Party First round Second round
Votes % Votes %
Rumen RadevIndependent973,75425.442,063,03259.37
Tsetska TsachevaGERB840,63521.961,256,48536.16
Krasimir KarakachanovUnited Patriots573,01614.97
Veselin MareshkiIndependent427,66011.17
Plamen OresharskiIndependent253,7266.63
Traycho TraykovReformist Bloc224,7345.87
Ivailo KalfinAlternative for Bulgarian Revival125,5313.28
Tatyana DonchevaMovement 21–NDSV69,3721.81
George GanchevChristian Social Union27,9280.73
Velizar EnchevMovement for Radical Change Bulgarian Spring18,2130.48
Dimitar MarinovBulgarian National Unification14,9740.39
Rumen GalabinovIndependent10,2860.27
Plamen PaskovIndependent10,1030.26
Aleksandar TomovBulgarian Socialdemocratic-Euroleft9,5130.25
Gospodin TonevBulgarian Democratic Community6,8550.18
Kemil RamadanBalkanic Democratic League6,0890.16
Kamen PopovIndependent5,2120.14
Diana DimitrovaIndependent4,3620.11
Nikolay BanevIndependent4,1960.11
Yordanka KolevaIndependent4,1820.11
Biser MilanovIndependent3,2150.08
None of the above214,0945.59155,4114.47
Invalid/blank votes119,925–66,036–
Total3,947,5751003,540,964100
Registered voters/turnout7,014,72356.287,020,11950.44
Source: Electoral Commission of Bulgaria

European Parliament elections

Referendums

Four nationwide referendums have been held in Bulgaria since it gained its De Facto independence in 1878:

  • On 19 November 1922 the question was if criminals from the three previous wars were to be prosecuted;[1]
  • On 8 September 1946 the question was if Bulgaria was to remain a monarchy to become a republic;[2]
  • On 16 May 1971 the nation's approval of a new constitution was asked;[3]
  • On 27 January 2013 the question was if Bulgaria should develop its nuclear power by building a new nuclear power plant.[4][5]
  • On 25 October 2015 the question was if Bulgaria should introduce electronic voting.
  • On 6 November 2016 voters were asked three questions. The questions were: Whether they supported limiting public funding of political parties; the introduction of compulsory voting in elections and referendums; and changing the electoral system for the National Assembly to the two-round system.

Several regional referendums have been held as well.

Local elections

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bulgarien, 19. November 1922 : Anklage gegen Kriegsverbrecher Direct Democracy
  2. ↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p368 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
  3. ↑ Nohlen & Stöver, p368
  4. ↑ Q&A: Bulgaria's nuclear energy referendum BBC News, 25 January 2013
  5. ↑ Bulgarians vote in referendum on nuclear energy Deutsche Welle
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