Bulgarian constitutional referendum, 1971

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A constitutional referendum was held in Bulgaria on 16 May 1971. [1] Voters were asked whether they approved of a new constitution (known as the Zhivkov Constitution), whose first article noted the "leading role" of the Communist Party. The result was reportedly 99.7% in favour, with a voter turnout of 99.7%. [2]

Bulgaria country in Southeast Europe

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, and the Black Sea to the east. The capital and largest city is Sofia; other major cities are Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. With a territory of 110,994 square kilometres (42,855 sq mi), Bulgaria is Europe's 16th-largest country.

Zhivkov Constitution

The Zhivkov Constitution was the third Constitution of Bulgaria, and the second of the Communist era. It was in effect from May 18, 1971 to July 12, 1991.

Bulgarian Communist Party political party in Bulgaria between 1903-1990

The Bulgarian Communist Party was the Communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1989 when the country ceased to be a socialist state. The Bulgarian Communist Party had dominated the Fatherland Front coalition that took power in 1944, late in World War II, after it led a coup against Bulgaria's tsarist regime in conjunction with the Red Army's crossing the border. It controlled its armed forces, the Bulgarian People's Army.

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For6,135,21899.7
Against15,4770.3
Invalid/blank votes5,533
Total6,156,228100
Registered voters/turnout6,174,63599.7
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p368 ISBN   978-3-8329-5609-7
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p375