1899 Bulgarian parliamentary election

1899 Bulgarian parliamentary election

←  1896 25 April 1899 1901  →

All 169 seats in the National Assembly 85 seats needed for a majority

Party Leader Seats Radoslavist Liberals Vasil Radoslavov 100 Stambolovist Liberals Dimitar Petkov 19 Other Liberals – 15 Democrats Petko Karavelov 10 Tsankovist Liberals Stoyan Danev 10 Socialists Dimitar Blagoev Yanko Sakazov 4 People's Party Konstantin Stoilov 2 Russophiles – 2 Unionists Konstantin Velichkov 1 Conservatives – 1 Independents – 5 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Prime Minister before Prime Minister after Dimitar Grekov Grekov (Ind. + Radoslavists) Dimitar Grekov Grekov (Ind. + Radoslavists)

Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 25 April 1899 ^[1] to elect members of the X Ordinary National Assembly. The result was a victory for the ruling Radoslavist Liberal Party, which won 100 of the 169 seats. Voter turnout was 49%. ^[2]

Results

The initial results were approximately: 90 Stambolovists and Radoslavists, 20 Democrats, 30 Tsankovists, Populists and Unionists, 5 Socialists and 5 others. ^[3] Several MPs were elected in more than one constituency and were required to choose which one to represent when the Assembly convened, resulting in 17 of the 169 seats being vacant. A further 21 seats were annulled and two MPs died. Snap elections were held on 19 September and 5 December 1899. ^[4]

Party		Seats
	Radoslavist Liberals [a]	100
	Stambolovist Liberals	19
	Other Liberals [b]	15
	Democrats	10
	Tsankovists [c]	10
	Workers' Social Democratic Party	4
	People's Party	2
	Russophiles [d]	2
	Unionists	1
	Conservatives	1
	Independents	5
Total		169
Source: National Statistical Institute [4]

Aftermath

The ruling government of Radoslavist Liberals and independents (notably Prime Minister and former stambolovist party leader Dimitar Grekov) continued its term. Grekov's appointing of members of his former party to positions of power led to tensions between him and Interior minister Radoslavov. After by-elections were held, the Radoslavists had a majority on their own and Grekov was forced to resign. He rejoined the Stambolovists and became party leader again until his death in 1901.

Radoslavist Todor Ivanchov succeeded Grekov as PM in October 1899. In order to tackle the ongoing economic crisis, the Grekov and Ivanchov governments privatized the railroad stations in Southern Bulgaria, decreased pensions and salaries and the reintroduced the tithe, with the latter causing mass peasant unrest and the founding of BZNS as a political party. The police forces under Radoslavov's Interior ministry brutally repressed the riots. The assassination of Ștefan Mihăileanu by the VMOK resulted in a diplomatic crisis with Romania. In November 1900 Ivanchov resigned after a crisis in the ruling party. He remained as the leader of an interim government, however he resigned again after a conflict with interior minister Racho Petrov, who succeeded him as interim PM. Ivanchov, Radoslavov and Dimitar Tonchev  [ bg ] were later arrested for corruption and constitutional violations by the First State Court  [ bg ] in 1903. ^{[5] [6]}

Notes

1. 89 Radoslavists Liberals, 11 from the ruling, governing or merged Liberal party
2. 11 Undetermined Liberals, 3 Old Liberals, 1 Liberal-Constitutionalist
3. 8 Tsankovists, 2 Tsankovists-Unionists
4. The prominent Russophile parties were the Tsankovists, the Unionists and the Democrats

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p368 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Nohlen & Stöver, p377
3. "Information notice", Pryaporets newspaper , 29 April 1899
4. Statistique des elections des deputes pour la XI-eme Assemblee nationale ordinaire. NSI. 1900. p. 147.
5. Tsurakov, Angel. Encyclopedia of Governments, National Assemblies, and Assassinations in Bulgaria. Sofia, Trud Publishing House, 2008. ISBN 954-528-790-X, p. 67-73.
6. Kumanov, Milen. Political organizations and movements in Bulgaria and their leaders 1879-1949, Sofia 1991.