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 Movement for Rights and Freedoms is a centrist political party in Bulgaria with a support base among ethnic minority communities. It was a member of the Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). While representing the interests of Muslims, especially Turks and to a lesser extent Pomaks, the party also receives the largest share of Romani votes.
This article gives an overview of liberalism and radicalism in Bulgaria. It is limited to liberal and radical parties with substantial support, mainly proved by having had a representation in parliament. The sign ⇒ denotes another party in that scheme. For inclusion in this scheme it is not necessary that parties label themselves as a liberal party.
Ahmed Demir Dogan is a Turkish Bulgarian oligarch and politician who founded the DPS party in 1990 and remained its leader until he stepped down in 2013.
Elena Nikolova Yoncheva is a Bulgarian freelance journalist and politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019.
European Parliament elections were held in Bulgaria on 20 May 2007. It was the country's first European election, having joined the Union on 1 January of that year. The country still had 18 MEPs, no change from before the election. Until Bulgaria could hold these elections, the country was represented by MEPs appointed by the National Assembly.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 5 July 2009. With 40% of the vote, the decisive winner of the elections was the established in 2006 personalistic party of Boyko Borisov, GERB. The Socialist Party, in power before the election, was in second place, with around 18%. Оnce-ruling National Movement Simeon II did not cross the 4% threshold and won no seats. The turnout was 60.6%, one of the lowest ever. Following the election, GERB leader Boyko Borisov became prime minister. Just like all the previous parliamentary elections since the fall of communism, the government was not re-elected.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 12 May 2013, two months ahead of schedule. Protests had forced the resignation of the GERB government in February, leading to the election being moved up.
Lyutvi Ahmed Mestan is a Bulgarian politician of Turkish-Bulgarian origin. He was chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms from January 2013 to 24 December 2015. He has been the Member of Parliament for Kardzhali. He was removed as party leader by the DPS central council and expelled from the party for what it considered an excessively pro-Turkish government stance following the downing of a Russian bomber jet by the Turkish Air Force. He subsequently founded a new political force, DOST, acronym of Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance in Bulgarian, and a double entendre also signifying friend in Turkish. The party is based on pro-EU, pro-NATO and liberal opinions.
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.
Delyan Slavchev Peevski is a Bulgarian politician and oligarch, sanctioned by the Global Magnitsky Act, by the UK and the United States for corruption, bribery and embezzlement. He is also a former media mogul and has served as Member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria since 2009. A member of the DPS party, which he currently leads, Peevski was elected as the Director of the State Agency for National Security in 2013, which triggered long lasting national protests that led to his eventual resignation.
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.
Mustafa Sali Karadayi is a Turkish Bulgarian politician who has been a Member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria since 2013. Throughout his tenure, he also served as the leader of his party, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), from 2016 to 2023.
Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance is a liberal and centrist political party in Bulgaria, mainly representing the Turkish minority. The party is led by Lyutvi Mestan.
Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 4 April 2021 at the end of the term of the National Assembly 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.
The Bulgarian political crisis is a period of instability in Bulgaria, which has seen the country face seven parliamentary elections over four years: April 2021, July 2021, November 2021, October 2022, April 2023, June 2024 and October 2024.
The Fiftieth 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 9 June 2024.
The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, often known as DPS–Dogan, is a Bulgarian political electoral coalition. It was formed prior to the October 2024 Bulgarian parliamentary election.
Movement for Rights and Freedoms – A New Beginning, often known as DPS–Peevski, is a Bulgarian political electoral coalition.
