Bulgaria - Political background

Bulgaria remained under the control of the Ottoman Empire until the end of the nineteenth century, gaining autonomy in 1878 and complete independence in 1908. Badly defeated in the second Balkan war of 1913, Bulgaria twice chose to ally itself with the losing side in World Wars I and II. The Soviet Red Army drove out Axis forces from Bulgaria in September 1944. The Bulgarian Communist Party deposed King Simeon in September 1946 and declared Bulgaria to be a People's Republic.

Communist leader Todor Zhivkov came to power in Bulgaria in 1954 and remained in power until 1989, the year of democratic revolutions throughout Eastern Europe. While under Communist rule, Bulgaria was known as the most faithful ally of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics among the communist Eastern bloc. Bulgaria did not have a well-organized dissidents' movement, and the regime did not embark on limited market economic experimentation, as other East European countries had. In 1989, opposition to Zhivkov grew, and a coalition of more than 20 opposition groups formed the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). Meanwhile, on 10 November 1989, the Bulgarian Communist Party Politburo forced the resignation of Zhivkov in a "palace coup." Beginning in January 1990, negotiations between the Communist Party and the UDF opposition opened the way for democratic elections in June 1990. With about 90% of eligible voters participating, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the former Communist Party, nearly won a majority of the vote. The UDF came in second with 36%, winning all of the urban centers by a large margin but losing the vote in the countryside.

The Parliament passed a new constitution on 13 July 1991. Elections to the new Parliament, now called the National Assembly, were held on 13 October 1991. This time, the UDF won a slight plurality, with 34% of the vote. BSP came in a close second with 33%. The UDF allied with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) and formed Bulgaria's first entirely noncommunist government on 8 November 1991, headed by Filip Dimitrov of the UDF as premier (prime minister). The first direct presidential elections, held 19 January 1992, brought incumbent president Zhelyu Zhelev, a founder of the UDF, to the presidency for a five-year term.

The Dimitrov government significantly improved Bulgaria's international reputation as a country swiftly transforming into a democratic state with a market economy. Politically, however, signs of trouble began to emerge by mid-1992. Tensions increased between the coalition partners of the UDF and MRF, and divisions within the UDF also became apparent. On 28 October 1992, the MRF, allied with the BSP, voted in favor of a motion of no-confidence in the Dimitrov government, an action which led to his resignation. The political crisis lasted two months, as the parties could not agree on a new cabinet. Finally, on 22 December 1992, the MRF nominated economics professor Lyuben Berov (unaffiliated) to be prime minister.

Beginning in 1993 and continuing in 1994, the Berov "government of experts" withstood numerous challenges. The most substantial differences arose between the UDF (especially former premier Filip Dimitrov) on the one hand, and the Berov government and President Zhelev (one of the founders of the UDF) on the other. The UDF repeatedly sought to force the resignation of the Berov government. A currency crisis and the serious illness of Prime Minister Berov in March 1994 prompted President Zhelev to withdraw his support for the Berov government in April of that year. In May 1994, Prime Minister Berov himself introduced a vote of confidence in his government for a three-month period. On 2 September 1994, the Berov government submitted its resignation to the Parliament, ending a tenure which lasted far beyond most expectations. President Zhelev dissolved

Parliament and set 18 December 1994 as the date for early elections—nearly one year ahead of schedule.

Thus, elections for the 240-seat National Assembly were held on 18 December 1994. The BSP won 43.5% of the vote and 125 seats in Parliament, an absolute majority. The UDF came in second with 24.2% of the vote and 69 seats. BSP head Zhan Videnov became Bulgaria's prime minister on 25 January 1995.

Economic reforms under the Videnov government stalled. The Bulgarian economy suffered a shrinking gross domestic product (GDP), high inflation, and a collapsing currency. In the political arena, the Videnov government and President Zhelev remained at odds over numerous issues, especially economic policy and foreign policy priorities. Within the BSP, a reformist faction began to demand Videnov's resignation by mid-1996.

Bulgaria held presidential elections in October and November 1996. In a move to unite the non-Socialist opposition parties, the UDF, Agrarian Union, and the MRF agreed to put forth a joint candidate determined by a primary election. On 1 June, incumbent President Zhelev ran opposite UDF candidate Petar Stoyanov, and Stoyanov defeated Zhelev by a wide margin. In the first round on 27 October, opposition candidate Stoyanov led with about 44% of the vote. BSP candidate and former culture minister Ivan Marazov trailed with 27%, and Bulgarian Business Bloc candidate George Ganchev pulled in 22%. In the second round on 3 November, Stoyanov won nearly 60% to Marazov's 40%. Stoyanov's victory marked a turning point in Bulgarian politics. The opposition, buoyed by Stoyanov's victory, set sights on forcing early parliamentary elections in 1997. Stoyanov was sworn in as president on 19 January 1997.

Facing growing internal and external opposition, Prime Minister Videnov resigned from office and party leadership at the BSP party congress in December 1996, reversing earlier vows not to relinquish power. New BSP leader Georgi Parvanov pledged to form a new BSP-led government. Tens of thousands of Bulgarian citizens, however, launched demonstrations on 3 January 1997 against the BSP government and in support of opposition demands for early elections. On 10 January, riot police violently broke up a blockade of the Parliament building by demonstrators. Outgoing President Zhelev refused to offer the BSP a mandate to form a new government under the BSP's prime minister-designate, Nikolay Dobrev. Western economic and financial institutions warned that economic stabilization efforts and outside financial assistance could not begin until a new government was put in place.

President Stoyanov upheld a constitutional requirement to offer a governing mandate to the BSP in late January but urged the BSP not to accept it. He instead urged them to work out a consensus arrangement on emergency economic policies and early elections. With its approval of a new cabinet line-up on 3 February, the deeply divided BSP appeared set for a standoff. The next day, however, President Stoyanov, the BSP, and the opposition announced an agreement, reached "in the name of civic peace" on holding early elections in mid-April 1997.

On 19 April, Bulgaria held new parliamentary elections. The UDF coalition (comprised of the UDF, the Popular Union, and the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party) came in first with an absolute majority of the vote (52.3%) and seats in Parliament (137 out of 240). The BSP came in second with 22.1%. A new government led by UDF leader Ivan Kostov was approved by Parliament on 21 May 1997. However, the country's economic and unemployment crises continued under the new leader, and accusations of corruption, particularly in the areas of political appointments, mounted. Meanwhile, the former king, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, having returned to the political arena in 1996, had been successfully forming a coalition between his Simeon II National Movement (SNM) Party and the MRF. In elections called 20 June 2001, the SNM won 120 seats of the 240-seat Parliament, receiving nearly twice as many votes as the UDF. Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, once the nation's king, now found himself its prime minister.