BULGARIA

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• BULGARIA

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Map
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General Information

• Bulgaria is slightly larger than Tennessee
  (population 7,679,290)
• It is located in South Central Europe
• Ethnicity Bulgarian 83.94, Turkish 9.42, Roma
  4.68, and other 2 (including Macedonian,
  Armenian, Tatar, Circassian)
• Religion Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6, Muslim 12.2,
  Roman Catholic 0.6, Protestant 0.5, others.
• Work force (2005 est.) 3.34 million.
  Agriculture, 11 industry, 32.7 services, 32
  

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• Unemployment rate 9.61 (2006 average) 11.5
  (2005) 12.7 (2004 average) 14.25 (2003
  average) (The impact of EU)
• Bulgaria shares a border with Turkey and Greece
  to the south, Macedonia and Serbia to the west,
  Romania to the north, and the Black Sea to the
  east

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GOVERNMENT BRANCHES

• It is a Parliamentary democracy (Republic)
• Its Constitution adopted July 12, 1991
• Executive Branch president (chief of state),
  prime minister (head of government), Council of
  Ministers (cabinet)
• 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.
  He also schedules elections and referendums,
  represents Bulgaria Abroad, concludes
  international treaties.
• 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.

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• Legislative Branch unicameral National Assembly
  or Narodno Subranie, 240 seats. Members are
  elected by popular vote of party/coalition lists
  of candidates for 4-year terms. A party or
  coalition must garner a minimum of 4 of the vote
  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
• Legislative powers is vested in both the
  Government and the National Assembly
• 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

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The National Assembly
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• Judicial Branch three-tiered system. The
  Bulgarian judicial system became an independent
  branch of the government following passage of the
  1991 constitution
• In 1994, the National Assembly passed the
  Judicial Powers Act to further delineate the role
  of the judiciary
• The countrys Judicial Branch consists of the
  following bodies
• 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.

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• The Supreme Court of Administration and Supreme
  Court of Cassation are the highest courts of
  appeal and determine the application of all laws.
  
• Constitutional Court interprets the constitution
  and constitutionality of laws and treaties. Its
  12 justices serve 9-year terms and are selected
  by the president, the National Assembly and the
  Supreme Courts.

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Major Parties

• The current governmental coalition is made of the
  
• Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP),
• National Movement Simeon II (NMS),
• Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Movie Rebirth)

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THE HISTORY OF BULGARIA

• The Bulgars came to Europe from their old
  homeland, the Kingdom of Balhara situated in the
  Mount Imeon area (present Hindu Kush in northern
  Afghanistan)
• In 681 A.D. the first Bulgarian state on the
  territory of modern Bulgaria was founded
• In 864, Bulgaria adopted Orthodox Christianity
• The First Bulgarian Kingdom, considered to be
  Bulgaria's "Golden Age," emerged under Tsar
  Simeon I in 893-927
• In 1018, the Byzantine Empire conquered Bulgaria

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• In 1185 the Bulgarians broke free of Byzantine
  rule and established the Second Bulgarian Kingdom
• Following the 1242 Mongol invasion, this kingdom
  began losing territory to its neighbors
• Ottoman expansion into the Balkan Peninsula
  eventually reached Bulgaria, and in 1396 Bulgaria
  became part of the Ottoman Empire
• The April uprising of 1876, the Russo-Turkish War
  (1877-78), and the Treaty of San Stefano (March
  3, 1878, the date of Bulgaria's national
  holiday), began Bulgaria's liberation from the
  Ottoman Empire, but complete independence was not
  recognized until 1908
• Bulgaria participated in the First and Second
  Balkan Wars (1912 and 1913)

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• Although allied with Germany during World War II,
  Bulgaria never declared war on the Soviet Union
  and never sent troops abroad to fight under Nazi
  command. Near the end of World War II, Bulgaria
  changed sides to fight the German army all the
  way to Austria 30,000 Bulgarian troops were
  killed
• With the entry of Soviet troops into Bulgaria in
  September 1944 and the defeat of the Axis Powers
  in World War II, communism emerged as the
  dominant political force within Bulgaria

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• By 1946, Bulgaria had become a satellite of the
  Soviet Union, remaining so throughout the Cold
  War period
• In 1989, Zhivkov was removed from power, and
  democratic change began
• The first multi-party elections since World War
  II were held in 1990
• The ruling communist party changed its name to
  the Bulgarian Socialist Party and won the June
  1990 elections
• Bulgaria became a member of the North Atlantic
  Treaty Organization on March 29, 2004, and a
  member of the European Union on January 1, 2007

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U.S. BULGARIA

• Bilateral relations between the two nations
  improved dramatically after the fall of communism
  
• The United States moved quickly to encourage
  development of multi-party democracy and a market
  economy
• In 1989, the U.S. Congress passed the Support for
  East European Democracies Act (SEED), authorizing
  financial support to facilitate development of
  democratic institutions, political pluralism, and
  free market economies in the Balkan region
• Since 1990, Bulgaria has received over 600
  million in SEED assistance

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Bibliography

• http//www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3236.htm