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Country Name

Conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria

Conventional short form: Bulgaria

Local long form: Republika Bulgaria

Local short form: Bulgaria

Former: Kingdom of Bulgaria, People's Republic of Bulgaria

Etymology: named after the Bulgar tribes who settled the lower Balkan region in the 7th century A.D.

Administrative Divisions

28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Sofia-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Targovishte, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

Independence

3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)

National Holiday

Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)

Constitution

history: several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 13 July 1991

Legal System

civil law

International Law Organization Participation

Accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Citizenship by birth: no

Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Bulgaria

Dual citizenship recognized: yes

Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Chief of state: President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017); Vice President Iliana IOTOVA (since 22 January 2017)

Head of government: Prime Minister Nikolay DENKOV (since 6 June 2023)

Cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly

Elections appointments: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 14 and 21 November 2021 (next to be held in fall 2026); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister, elected by the National Assembly

Election results: 2021

2016: Rumen RADEV elected president in second round; percent of vote - Rumen RADEV (independent, supported by Bulgarian Socialist Party) 59.4%, Tsetska TSACHEVA (GERB) 36.2%, neither 4.5%

Legislative Branch

Description: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list, proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms)

Elections: last held on 2 April 2023 (next election to be held in 2027)

Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - GERB-SDS 25.4%, PP-DB 23.5%, Revival 13.6%, DPS 13.2%, BSP for Bulgaria 8.6%, ITN 3.9%, other 11.8%; seats by party/coalition GERB-SDS 69, PP-DB 64, Revival 37, DPS 36, BSP for Bulgaria 23, ITN 11; composition - men 182, women 58, percent of women 24.2%

Judicial Branch

Highest courts: Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of a chairman and approximately 72 judges organized into penal, civil, and commercial colleges); Supreme Administrative Court (organized into 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices); note - Constitutional Court resides outside the judiciary

Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC (consists of 25 members with extensive legal experience) and appointed by the president; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65; Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC; justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of 4 justices every 3 years

Subordinate courts: appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial

Political Parties and Leaders

BSP for Bulgaria [Korneliya NINOVA] (electoral alliance of BSP, PKT, Ecoglasnost)Bulgarian Rise or BV [Stefan YANEV]Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Korneliya NINOVA]Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Boyko BORISOV] (alliance with SDS) Democratic Bulgaria or DB (electoral alliance of Yes! Bulgaria, DSB, and The Greens) [Atanas ATANASOV, Hristo IVANOV]Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Atanas ATANASOV]Ecoglasnost [Emil GEORGIEV]Green Movement or The Greens [Dobromira KOSTOVA, Vladislav PENEV]Movement for Rights and Freedoms or DPS [Mustafa KARADAYI]Political Club Thrace or PKT [Stefan NACHEZ]Revival [Kostadin KOSTADINOV]Stand Up.BG or IS.BG [Maya MANOLOVA]There is Such a People or ITN [Slavi TRIFONOV]Union of Democratic Forces or SDS [Rumen HRISTOV] (alliance with GERB) Yes! Bulgaria [Hristo IVANOV]We Continue the Change or PP [Kiril PETKOV and Asen VASILEV]We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria or PP-DB [Kiril PETKOV, Asen VASILEV, Hristo IVANOV, and Atanas ATANASOV] (electoral alliance of PP, DB, Yes! Bulgaria)

Flag Description

Three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue

National Symbols

National Anthem

Lyrics music: Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV

Note: adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War

National Heritage