1914 Bulgarian parliamentary election

1914 Bulgarian parliamentary election

←  1913 23 February 1914 1919  →
All 245 seats in the National Assembly 123 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	67.11%
Party Leader Vote % Seats +/– LP–NLP–MLP Vasil Radoslavov 45.24 126 +32 BZNS Aleksandar Dimitrov  ( bg ) Dimitar Dragiev  ( bg ) 19.25 47 −1 Democratic Aleksandar Malinov 11.33 31 +17 BRSDP (united) Yanko Sakazov 5.92 10 −9 BRSDP Dimitar Blagoev 5.66 11 −7 People's Party Ivan Geshov 5.11 10 +5 Radical Democratic Naycho Tsanov  ( bg ) 3.58 5 0 Progressive Liberal Stoyan Danev 3.05 2 +1 This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. Prime Minister before Prime Minister after Vasil Radoslavov Radoslavov III (LP–NLP–MLP) Vasil Radoslavov Radoslavov III (LP–NLP–MLP)

Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 23 February 1914. ^[1] to elect members of the XVII Ordinary National Assembly. The result was a victory for the ruling Liberal Concentration, an alliance of the Liberal Party, the People's Liberal Party and the Young Liberals Party, which won 126 of the 245 seats, achieving a majority. Voter turnout was 67%. ^[2] The coalition won with large margins in the newly incorporated territories, having promised certain degrees of religious and cultural minority rights. ^[3]

Results

Party or alliance				Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	Liberal Concentration		Liberal Party	345,730	45.24	83	+23
			People's Liberal Party			31	+4
			Young Liberals Party			12	+5
			Undetermined Liberals			3	+3
	Bulgarian Agrarian National Union			147,143	19.25	47	–1
	Democratic Party			86,611	11.33	31	+17
	Bulgarian Social Democratic Workers' Party (United)			45,235	5.92	10	–9
	Bulgarian Social Democratic Workers' Party (Narrow Socialists)			43,251	5.66	11	–7
	People's Party			39,005	5.10	10	+5
	Radical Democratic Party			27,353	3.58	5	0
	Progressive Liberal Party			23,307	3.05	2	+1
	Others			6,651	0.87	0	0
Total				764,286	100.00	245	+41
Valid votes				764,286	99.30
Invalid/blank votes				5,426	0.70
Total votes				769,712	100.00
Registered voters/turnout				1,146,880	67.11
Source: National Statistical Institute [4]

Aftermath

The civillian members of Radoslavov's third government in September 1915: podpolkovnik Hristo Popov  ( bg ), Dobri Petkov  ( bg ), Zhecho Bakalov  ( bg ), Petar Peshev  ( bg ), Vasil Radoslavov, Dimitar Tonchev  ( bg ), Petar Dinchev  ( bg ) and Nikola Apostolov  ( bg ). War minister Nikola Zhekov is not pictured.

Having achieved a majority the pro-Triple Alliance liberal coalition government continued its term and Vasil Radoslavov remained Prime Minister. The post-Balkan Wars financial situation in the country necessitated a foreign loan, and there were competing proposals from France and Germany, with the Assembly ultimately approving a proposal from the German Disconto-Gesellschaft bank on 2 July 1914. Bulgaria initially declared neutrality in World War I, however following a series of negotiations with both the Entente and the Central Powers in the summer of 1915 the country entered the war on the side of the Central Powers. General moblilzation was declared later that year and Bulgaria occupied a large part of Serbia. An occupation zone in Greece was also established after the formation of the Macedonian front and Greece's full entry into the war. Romania jointed the Entante in 1916 and Bulgaria took full control of Southern Dobruja and joint control of Northern Dobruja. Social unrest, famine and army mutinees resulted in the fall of the government.

In June 1918 Tsar Ferdinand appointed Aleksandar Malinov as PM, who formed a DP-RDP government, supported by all the opposition parties in Parliament except the Narrow Socialists. ^[3] After failed armistice negotiations, the government vowed to "fight until a victorious end to the war", however following the Battle of Dobro Pole, the subsequent Entante advance north and the Radomir Rebellion, the country signed an armistice on 29 September 1918 and Ferdinand abdicated on the 3rd of October. Later that month the NP, BZNS and BRSDP-o joined the coalition, however Malinov resigned after the Romanian occupation of Southern Dobruja the following month.

Foreign minister Teodorov from the NP formed another national unity government, including the same parties and the PLP. In May 1919 the DP ministers were replaced. ^[5]

References

1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p368 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
2. Nohlen & Stöver, p379
3. Kumanov, Milen. Political organizations and movements in Bulgaria and their leaders 1879-1949, Sofia 1991.
4. Statistique des elections des deputes pour la XVII-eme, XVIII-eme et XIX-eme Assemblees nationales ordinaires. NSI. 1928. pp. 9, 16, 20.
5. Tsurakov, Angel. Encyclopedia of Governments, National Assemblies, and Assassinations in Bulgaria. Sofia, Trud Publishing House, 2008. ISBN 954-528-790-X, p. 125-137.