Part of the politics of Bulgaria | |
Date | 4 April 2021 – present |
---|---|
Location | Bulgaria |
Type | Political crisis |
Cause | Difficulties in forming and retaining a stable majority governing coalition |
Bulgarian political crisis is a period of instability in Bulgaria, which has seen the country face six elections over three years: April 2021, July 2021, November 2021, October 2022, April 2023 and June 2024.
The first two elections failed to result in a governing coalition, but the November 2021 election saw Kiril Petkov create an unstable government which lasted only 7 months. The October 2022 snap election resulted in another gridlock, leading to the April 2023 election. The 2023 election saw the creation of a rotating government between the GERB and PP–DB alliances, but the failure of the rotation caused June 2024 election.
Former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, and his populist conservative party GERB, had led Bulgaria consecutively since 2016. Borisov's third government was embroiled in numerous corruption scandals during his time in office, [1] specifically surrounding the allocation of EU funds, infrastructure projects and government subsidies. [2]
Scandals including alleged photographs of the former Prime Minister lying on a bed next to a handgun, bars of gold and stacks of money and the "Eight Dwarfs" extortion scandal culminated in protests on 9 July 2020, with the aim of removing Borisov's government and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev. [3] [4]
These protests would continue daily until after the government's term concluded on 16 April 2021. [5] [6]
The protests saw the rise to prominence of several so called "parties of change", [7] consisting mainly of new political parties which opposed Borisov, and many of whom joined in with the protests. [8] [9] The main three electoral coalitions or parties in this bloc were There Is Such a People (ITN), Democratic Bulgaria (DB) and Stand Up! Mafia, Get Out! (IMSV), and polls suggested this bloc garnered large support. [10] [11]
The election took place on 4 April 2021, and was scheduled as a regular election following four years since the 2017 election.
Borisov's governing coalition lost its majority, with the government-supporting parties falling from a combined 134 seats to 75 out of 240, with only GERB staying in the National Assembly. [12] In contrast, all three of the "parties of change" groupings entered the national assembly, winning a total of 92 seats, with 51 of these coming from Slavi Trifonov's ITN. The Socialist Party (BSPzB) also suffered its worst result in a democratic election. [13] The election also saw turnout drop 3.5pp to 49.1%.
The "Anti-Corruption" bloc ruled out working with Borisov and GERB, and as such it was unlikely any government would be formed. [14] President Rumen Radev gave first mandate to GERB as the largest party, who failed to form a government with the former foreign minister, Daniel Mitov, as the nominated Prime Ministerial candidate. [15] The second mandate was offered to ITN, who refused after GERB had suggested it would be willing to support an ITN-led government. [12] [16] Radev gave the final mandate to Korneliya Ninova of the BSPzB, who refused to form a government after the "parties of change" refused to work with them. Stefan Yanev was appointed by Radev to lead an interim government, and a snap election was called for 11 July. [17]
The July election saw ITN continue on its upward momentum, topping the polls in the election with 65 seats. The "parties of change" rose to 112 seats, still shy of the 121 needed for a majority. [18] GERB fell to 63 seats, and BSPzB continued its downward trend. Turnout dropped by 8.7pp to 40.4%.
When ITN was handed the mandate by Radev, they opted to form a minority government with the support of the other anti-corruption parties and BSPzB, but the negotiations fell through. GERB ruled out trying to form a government, [19] and BSPzB failed to convince other parties to support the caretaker government for a full 4-year term. Another election was scheduled for 14 November, occurring at the same time as the presidential election. [20] [21] Yanev continued as caretaker Prime Minister.
After ITN were perceived to have failed to work constructively with other parties to form a government, their support drastically dropped, coming in fourth place behind GERB, DB and BSPzB in some polls. [22]
In August, there was speculation that two popular cabinet ministers from Yanev's first caretaker government, Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev could form a new anti-corruption party, and the project was officially launched on 17 September. We Continue the Change (PP) hoped to be a uniting force, which could bring together a government following the elections. [7]
At the election, PP came out on top with 67 seats. The "parties of change" fell to 108 seats, with IBG-NI (formerly ISMV), falling out of the National Assembly. GERB and BSPzB continued to fall in their seat count. [23] Revival (VAZ), a far-right party, also entered the Assembly following protests against the interim government's introduction of a vaccine passport, or "green pass". [24] [25] Turnout fell by a further 2pp to 38.4%.
Following the election, Petkov said he would be willing to work with any party which wished to join the fight against corruption in Bulgaria. [26] The Turkish minority interest party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and GERB refused to cooperate with PP. [27] On 10 December, the leaders of PP, BSP, ITN and DB announced they had agreed to form a coalition. Radev, who was re-elected as president, [28] gave PP the first mandate.
With the first mandate, PP proposed a government. This was approved by the National Assembly on 13 December. [29]
Investiture Kiril Petkov (PP) | ||
Ballot → | 13 December 2021 | |
---|---|---|
Required majority → | 121 out of 240 | |
134 / 240 | ||
104 / 240 | ||
Abstentions
| 0 / 240 | |
Absentees
| 2 / 240 | |
Result → | Yes | |
Source [30] |
One of the first challenges of the new government was the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In February, defense minister Yanev was dismissed after he denied to call the invasion war, instead using the term "special military operation" as was used by Russia. [31] BSP also threatened to leave the government if Bulgaria sent military aid to Ukraine. [32] Despite this, according to investigations by Welt, Bulgaria used intermediaries to provide Kyiv with supplies of weapons, ammunition and diesel. Bulgaria was also at the forefront of urging that the EU impose sanctions on Russia as soon as possible. However, as a result of this action, the Russian-state affiliated Gazprom severed gas exports to the country. [33] [34]
After a dispute about the lifting the veto against North Macedonia to allow them to join the European Union, [35] ITN withdrew from the government on 8 June 2022 making it a minority government. [36] However, 6 of ITN's delegates left the party in order to support Petkov's government. [37]
On 22 June 2022 a motion of no-confidence succeeded with 123 members of parliament voting against the government. [38] As no party was able to form another government within the current Parliament, President Radev scheduled another election to take place in October 2022 and appointed another interim government, led by Galab Donev, who had been minister for Labour and Social Policy in all of the interim governments, appointed by Radev (Gerdzhikov, Yanev 1 and Yanev 2).
Vote of no-confidence | ||
Ballot → | 22 June 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Required majority → | 121 out of 240 | |
Confidence
| 116 / 240 | |
123 / 240 | ||
Abstentions
| 0 / 240 | |
Absentees
| 1 / 240 | |
Result → | No-confidence | |
Source [38] |
The parties which formed the previous coalition: PP, BSPzB and DB failed to gain a majority only reaching 98 of the seats. Meanwhile, the two pro-Russian and nationalist parties VAZ and the new formed Bulgarian Rise (led by former interim prime minister Yanev) both made gains. [39] GERB became largest party with around 25% and 67 seats. ITN failed to reach the 4% threshold. [40]
It took three days for the Assembly to vote on a chairperson following the election. In the meantime, a dog called "Johnny" received joking endorsements from the public to become the chairman instead. Eventually, Vezhdi Rashidov from GERB was approved as a compromise on 21 October. [41]
The first mandate went to GERB, and they proposed Nikolay Gabrovski. Gabrovski was disapproved by parliament on December 14. [42]
Investiture Nikolay Gabrovski (GERB) | ||
Ballot → | 14 December 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Required majority → | 121 of 240 | |
113 / 240 | ||
No
| 125 / 240 | |
Abstentions
| 0 / 240 | |
2 / 240 | ||
Result → | No | |
Source [42] |
During the government formation a debate about the return of paper ballots broke out which was abolished due to concerns of vote buying. [43] GERB, DPS and BSP supported the return and were able to override a veto of president Radev against the changes of the electoral code. [44]
The second mandate went to the second largest party PP on 3 January 2023. [45] The third and last mandate was given to BSP which was also unable to form a government thus triggering snap elections, scheduled for 2 April 2023. However, BSP opened up to a potential cooperation with GERB, which has the potential for a breakthrough. [46] Galab Donev was selected by Radev to lead another interim government. [47]
The election scheduled for 2 April marked the 5th election the country has faced in 2 years. It has been suggested that the political turmoil could potentially impact Bulgaria joining the Eurozone. [47]
PP negotiated with DB, alongside other minor organisations, [48] to run on a joint list together for the 2023 election, a proposal all constituent parties of DB supported. They hope to prioritise justice reform, joining the Schengen Area and the Eurozone. [49] [50] [51] The two parties were already working together in the upcoming local elections. [52] On 10 February, DB announced they had come to an agreement and would be running on a joint list, PP–DB. [53]
Going into the election, PP–DB hoped to form a minority government, while GERB supported forming a Grand coalition between them and PP–DB, which Borisov said would take time but could solve the political crisis. [54]
The election saw the GERB-led list retain its position in first, and it has reportedly increased its seat count up to 69. PP–DB did worse than expected and were considered the losers of the night, dropping down to 64. VAZ rose above DPS, which itself stayed stable, and ITN narrowly re-entered the assembly. BV fell below the threshold. [55] [56] [57] [58] In terms of government negotiations, GERB stated that they would work with anyone, PP–DB broadly did not wish to join a government alongside GERB, and VAZ suggested that they would not join any government other than one solely led by them. [59] [60] [57] BSP, DPS and ITN were vaguer about who they would support, but Ninova said the BSP would be open to negotiating with all parties. [61]
At the first sitting of the Assembly on 12 April, no speaker could be elected, with the parliamentarians only sitting for a matter of a few minutes. There was not much progress built on government formation, though GERB and PP–DB pledged to meet and pass laws where the two groupings could see eye-to-eye. [62]
On 22 May, PP and GERB agreed to form a government with a rotational premiership. Nikolay Denkov, PP's candidate would be the Prime Minister for the first 9 months of the government and Mariya Gabriel, the GERB candidate, would serve as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister. After 9 months, the two would switch positions. [63] Petkov claimed the government was not a coalition, and that it was the best they could do, despite breaking their pre-election promise. Petkov also said he hoped the government could survive for at least 18 months, and confirmed he would not be a part of the cabinet. [64] It was reported that DB will support the government, but from the outside with no ministers in government. [64] Alleged recordings from an incriminating PP meeting, including both leaders, were released by Radostin Vassilev, a MP for PP–DB, who left the party. Petkov claimed the recordings did not represent the truth and were manipulated. [65] There were suggestions that these recordings could impact the formation of the PP and GERB cooperation agreement, but Borisov said it would not make an impact. [66]
Denkov, the proposed Prime Minister, released the cabinet composition alongside the proposed Deputy Prime Minister, Gabriel on 2 June. They announced that they had joined in negotiations with DPS, in order to achieve the supermajority of 160 MPs needed to enact constitutional reforms. [67] DPS said they would not prevent the government's formation, but they were more vague regarding their explicit support. [68]
Investiture Nikolai Denkov (PP) | ||
Ballot → | 6 June 2023 | |
---|---|---|
Required majority → | 121 of 240 | |
131 / 240 | ||
No
| 69 / 240 | |
Abstentions
| 0 / 240 | |
40 / 240 | ||
Result → | Yes | |
Source [69] |
The Denkov government's primary goals were to continue Bulgaria's accession process into the Schengen Area and Eurozone and judicial reform. [70] [71]
The government faced two no confidence votes. The first was submitted by BSP, V and ITN over energy policy, in October 2023. The Denkov government won the vote by a large margin, supported by the coalition parties and DPS. [72] The same three parties supported another no confidence motion regarding defence and security in November 2023. Initially, GERB and DPS staged a walkout during the debate, leading to the government narrowly surviving with 66 votes to keep them and 61 to oust them. However, due to re-voting requests and the quorum not being met, the vote was repeated, which the government survived comfortably. [73] [74]
The Denkov government submitted its resignation on 5 March 2024 as scheduled in the rotation agreement, but would stay in place as a caretaker government until the negotiations for a rotation government had concluded. The government's resignation was approved unanimously by the National Assembly. [75]
Gabriel, as GERB's proposed candidate for PM, received the first mandate to form a government from President Radev. She proposed a government without getting the consent of PP–DB, and PP–DB ministers subsequently declared they did not wish to enter a government led by Gabriel. Further negotiations followed, but they broke down, with disagreements over cabinet positions and support of DPS. [76] [77]
PP–DB were given the second mandate to form a government on 26 March, but as GERB had ruled out accepting a government, the mandate was returned the following day unfulfilled. [78] President Radev chose to give the third and final mandate to ITN on 28 March, who rejected it, returning it in seconds. [79] [80] Further elections are likely to be held on 9 June 2024, to coincide with the European Parliament elections on the same day.
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2024) |
Investiture Rosen Zhelyazkov (GERB) | ||
Ballot → | 3 July 2024 | |
---|---|---|
Required majority → | 120 of 240 | |
98 / 240 | ||
138 / 240 | ||
2 / 240 | ||
2 / 240 | ||
Result → | No | |
Source[ citation needed ] |
The politics of Bulgaria take place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the prime minister is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature.
The history of Bulgaria from 1990 to the present is the period of Bulgarian history that begins after the fall of Communism and the transition to a market economy.
Mariya Ivanova Gabriel is a Bulgarian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2023 to 2024. A member of the GERB party, she previously served as European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth from 2019 to 2023, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society from 2017 to 2019 and Member of the European Parliament from 2009 to 2017.
The Oresharski Government was the ninety-second cabinet of Bulgaria which took office on 29 May 2013. The government, led by Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski, is one of technocrats created following the 2013 election. The cabinet was dissolved on 6 August 2014 to make way for a caretaker government that would lead Bulgaria through early elections in October of the same year.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 5 October 2014 to elect the 43rd National Assembly. GERB remained the largest party, winning 84 of the 240 seats with around a third of the vote. A total of eight parties won seats, the first time since the beginning of democratic elections in 1990 that more than seven parties entered parliament. Boyko Borisov then became prime minister as head of a coalition with the Reformist Bloc and with outside support from the Patriotic Front and the Alternative for Bulgarian Revival.
Rumen Georgiev Radev is a Bulgarian politician and former major general who has been the president of Bulgaria since 22 January 2017.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 26 March 2017. They had originally been scheduled for 2018 at the end of the four-year term of the National Assembly. However, following the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and the failure of Bulgarian parties to form a government, early elections were called. Borisov resigned following the defeat of Tsetska Tsacheva, the candidate of his GERB party, in the November 2016 presidential elections. The official election campaign began on 24 February.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 4 April 2021 at the end of the term of National Assembly members elected in 2017. Parties in the governing coalition led by Boyko Borisov lost seats and no party leader was able to form a coalition government within the time limit. This triggered the July 2021 Bulgarian parliamentary election.
There Is Such a People is a populist political party in Bulgaria established by Bulgarian singer, TV host, and politician Slavi Trifonov. Self-described as a "political product", the party is named after one of Trifonov's own musical albums.
General elections were held in Bulgaria on 14 November 2021 to elect both the President and the National Assembly. They were the country's third parliamentary elections in 2021, with no party able to form a government after the elections in April and July. A second round of the presidential elections were held on 21 November 2021 as no candidate was able to receive a majority of the vote in the first round.
Early parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 2 October 2022 to elect members of the 48th National Assembly. The snap election was called after the fall of the Petkov Government, a four-party coalition, in June 2022. This was the fourth parliamentary election since 2021, an unprecedented situation in Bulgarian history, the previous elections being the April, July, and November 2021 elections.
We Continue the Change, sometimes translated as Change Continues, is a centrist, anti-corruption political party and formerly an electoral alliance in Bulgaria led by Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, two former caretaker ministers. It was founded ahead of the November 2021 election. The party was officially registered on 15 April.
Kiril Petkov Petkov is a Bulgarian politician, economist, and entrepreneur, who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from December 2021 to August 2022. He is the co-leader of We Continue the Change, a political party he co-founded with Asen Vasilev.
The Petkov Government, known as the Four-party coalition cabinet, was the ninety-ninth cabinet of Bulgaria. Chaired by prime minister Kiril Petkov, it was approved by the National Assembly on 13 December 2021 after the government formation as a result of the November 2021 parliamentary election. It was a so-called Vivaldi coalition, named after composer Antonio Vivaldi due to his work The Four Seasons which corresponds to the different political views present in this coalition: liberals, socialists (BSP), greens and conservatives. The government became a Minority government on 8 June 2022, when ITN pulled out of the government, and its mandate ended in late June 2022. It was the first government in Bulgarian history to lose a vote of confidence. On 1 July, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev asked Asen Vasilev to form a new government, which Vasilev failed to do and new elections were scheduled to take place.
Nikolai Denkov Denkov is a Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2023 to 2024. A member of the PP party, he previously served as a Member of the National Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and as Minister of Education and Science in 2017 and from 2021 to 2022. Denkov is a physicist, physical chemist and chemist. He is a member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and was a lecturer at the University of Sofia.
Early parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 2 April 2023 to elect members of the National Assembly. These were initially scheduled to be held before November 2026; however, as no government was approved by the 48th Parliament, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev announced in January 2023 that he would call a snap election.
Early parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 9 June 2024, to elect members of the National Assembly. The election coincided with the European Parliament election on the same day.
We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, also known simply as PP–DB, is a Bulgarian electoral coalition between We Continue the Change, Volt Bulgaria and Democratic Bulgaria. The alliance was formed prior to the 2023 election.
The Denkov Government is the 102nd cabinet of Bulgaria. It was approved by the parliament on 6 June 2023, and is a majority coalition of GERB and PP–DB. Per the coalition agreement, it is set to be a rotation government, where PP–DB's Nikolai Denkov would start with the premiership, with GERB's Mariya Gabriel serving as deputy prime minister, and after nine months, the two would switch positions. Per the agreement, Denkov and his cabinet resigned on 6 March 2024 in preparation for Gabriel to form her cabinet, although the Denkov government will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed.
The Forty-Seventh National Assembly was a convocation of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, formed according to the results of the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, held on 14 November 2021.