Bulgaria - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Bulgaria, it was named after the Bulgar tribes who settled the lower Balkan region in the 7th century A.D.. The Government system in this country is the parliamentary republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 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
National symbols
Lion; national colors: white, green, red.
The flag
The National flag of Bulgaria has 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.
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note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed
The National Anthem
| Title | "Mila Rodino" (Dear Homeland) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV |
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note: adopted 1964; composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War
More about the government of Bulgaria
| Date of 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) |
| Legal system | civil law |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 13 July 1991 |
| Amendments | Proposed by the National Assembly or by the president of the republic; passage requires three-fourths majority vote of National Assembly members in three ballots; signed by the National Assembly chairperson; note - under special circumstances, a "Grand National Assembly" is elected with the authority to write a new constitution and amend certain articles of the constitution, including those affecting basic civil rights and national sovereignty; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in each of several readings; amended several times, last in 2023 |
| 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 |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Rumen RADEV (since 22 January 2017) |
| Head of government | Caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar GLAVCHEV (since 9 April 2024) |
| 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: Rumen RADEV reelected president in second round; percent of vote in the first round - Rumen RADEV (independent) 49.4%, Anastas GERDZHIKOV (independent) 22.8%, Mustafa KARADAYI (DPS) 11.6%, Kostadin KOSTADINOV (Revival) 3.9%, Lozan PANOV (independent) 3.7%, other 8.6%; percent of vote in the second round - Rumen RADEV 66.7%, Anastas GERDZHIKOV 31.8%, neither 1.5% 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 | |
| Legislature name | National Assembly (Narodno sabranie) |
| Legislative structure | Unicameral |
| Number of seats | 240 (all directly elected) |
| Electoral system | Proportional representation |
| Scope of elections | Full renewal |
| Term in office | 4 years |
| Most recent election date | 10/27/2024 |
| Parties elected and seats per party | Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria Party (GERB) - Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) (69); We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (37); Revival (Vuzrazhdane) (35); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) - New Beginning (30); Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP for Bulgaria) - United Left (20); Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS) (19); There is Such a People (PP-ITN) (18); Political Party Morality, Unity, Honour (PP MECh) (12) |
| Percentage of women in chamber | 20.8% |
| Expected date of next election | October 2028 |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Georgi Velikov PANAYOTOV (since 7 June 2022) |
| Chancery | 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 387 5770 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 234-7973 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.bulgaria-embassy.org/en/homepage/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Chicago, Los Angeles, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires H. Martin McDOWELL (since January 2025) |
| Embassy | 16, Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408 |
| Mailing address | 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 |
| Telephone | [359] (2) 937-5100 |
| FAX | [359] (2) 937-5209 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://bg.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 10 (7 cultural, 3 natural) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Boyana Church (c); Madara Rider (c); Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak (c); Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo (c); Rila Monastery (c); Ancient City of Nessebar (c); Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari (c); Srebarna Nature Reserve (n); Pirin National Park (n); Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (n) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Bulgaria
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Bulgaria
Want to know more about Bulgaria? Check all different factbooks for Bulgaria below.
