1938 Bulgarian parliamentary election

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1938 Bulgarian parliamentary election
Flag of Bulgaria.svg
  1931 6–27 March 1938 1939  

All 160 seats in the National Assembly
81 seats needed for a majority
Turnout69.53%
PartyLeaderSeats
Government Boris III 97
Democratic UnificationAngel Stankov [a] 56
National Social Movement–Kalfov Hristo Kalfov  [ bg ]3
National Liberal Party (G. Petrov) Georgi Petrov  [ bg ]1
People's Party 1
Independents 2
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
Bulgaria 1938 legislative election.svg
Prime Minister beforePrime Minister after
Georgi Kyoseivanov Georgi Kyoseivanov

Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria to elect members of the XXIV Ordinary National Assembly between 6 and 27 March 1938, the first after the 1934 coup. [1] The elections were held on a non-partisan basis, with all parties banned. [2] Pro-government candidates won a majority of seats. [3] Voter turnout was 70%. [4] Women were allowed to vote – for the first time – if they were married, divorced or widowed. [5]

Contents

Despite gerrymandering and manipulation, the opposition performed unexpectedly well and after the election the government pressured some of their elected MPs into supporting the government. [6] Following the election, three meetings were held in April 1938, one with 17 MPs from the regions of Burgas and Stara Zagora, one with 42 from Vratsa, Pleven and Shumen and one with 32 from Plovdiv and Sofia, with all of them expressing support for the government and a further six expressed support without being present, for a total of 97 pro-government MPs. Despite the non-partisan nature of the election, only ten elected MPs had never previously been members of any defunct parties. [7]

Electoral system

For the first time since 1911 the election was held under first-past-the-post, with 160 separate constituencies, some of them gerrymandered.

Conduct

The elections were held on different dates in different regions to facilitate the presence of the armed forces for voter dispersion during the electoral campaign and exert pressure, make arrest and hinder the distribution of opposition ballots on election day.

Results

Party or allianceVotes%Seats
Government Democratic Alliance–Moshanov 31
Right-wing BZNS factions [b] 30
NSD–Tsankov 18
Others8
Independents10
Total97
Democratic Unification Petorka  [ bg ] [c] 41
Bulgarian Communist Party 5
BZNS–Midday 9
Democratic Party 1
Total56
National Social Movement–Kalfov 3
National Liberal Party (G. Petrov) 1
People's Party 1
Independents2
Total160
Total votes2,261,862
Registered voters/turnout3,252,88369.53
Source: Nohlen & Stöver (votes), Georgiev (seats) [7]

Notes

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p368 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p354
  3. Nohlen & Stöver, p386
  4. Nohlen & Stöver, p370
  5. Krassimira Daskalova (2007). "How Should We Name the "Women-Friendly" Actions of State Socialism?". Aspasia: International Yearbook of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern European Women's and Gender History. Vol. 1. pp. 214–219.
  6. "Комунизъм и Народен фронт(4-та част)" (in Bulgarian). 26 August 2024.
  7. 1 2 Georgiev, Velichko. The bourgeoisie and petite bourgeoisie parties in Bulgaria 1934-1939. Sofia, State Publisher "Science and Art", 1971, p. 343, 348.
  8. "Политически партии, организации и движения в България и техните лидери" (in Bulgarian).