History of Parliamentary Elections in Bulgaria

The parliamentary elections in Bulgaria have a long and storied history, dating back to the country's liberation from Ottoman rule in 1878. The first elections in the nascent nation were held on September 30 and October 7, 1879, to elect members of the First Ordinary National Assembly. These elections saw competition between the two leading political forces at the time, the Liberal and Conservative parties.

The elections were held amid a population of around 1.8 million people, with over 270,000 citizens casting their votes, representing a relatively low turnout of 32%. The Liberal Party emerged victorious, securing 158 seats in the assembly, which included notable figures such as Petko Karavelov, Petko Slaveykov, Dragan Tsankov, and Stefan Stambolov. However, Prince Alexander I of Battenberg expressed dissatisfaction with the outcome and sought permission from the Russian Emperor to dissolve the National Assembly, a request that was ultimately denied.

Early Years of Parliamentary Elections

In the years following the first elections, parliamentary contests continued to be held, with the decrees for elections being issued by Prince Alexander I of Battenberg, Prince (later Tsar) Ferdinand, and Tsar Boris III. From 1890 to 1940, a total of twenty-four Ordinary National Assemblies and four Grand Assemblies were elected.

The political landscape gradually evolved, with the Liberal and Conservative parties splintering into various factions, including the People's Liberal Party, Progressive Liberal Party, People's Party, Democratic Party, and the Bulgarian Agrarian National Union (BZNS). In 1938, a significant milestone was reached when women over the age of 21 who were married, divorced, or widowed were granted the right to vote in parliamentary elections, though unmarried women and women seeking elected office remained disenfranchised.

The Communist Era

After the September 9, 1944 coup, the Fatherland Front government dissolved the Twenty-fifth Ordinary National Assembly and ruled without parliamentary control. In May 1945, following the end of hostilities in Europe, the government decided to hold elections for a new parliament. These elections introduced several notable changes, including granting voting rights to unmarried women, military personnel, and members of the police force. The minimum age for candidates was lowered to 23, but those deemed to have "fascist manifestations" were barred from running.

Despite initial postponements and calls for democratic reforms from the United States and Great Britain, the opposition parties ultimately boycotted the elections, citing a lack of conditions for a fair contest. As a result, the Fatherland Front won all the seats in the newly formed Twenty-sixth Ordinary National Assembly, with a reported voter turnout of 86%.

In 1946, elections were held for the Sixth Grand National Assembly, coinciding with a referendum to abolish the monarchy and proclaim a People's Republic. The Bulgarian Workers' Party (communists) secured 53.14% of the votes and 277 out of 465 seats in the assembly, while the referendum resulted in a reported 95.6% of voters favoring the establishment of a republic.

The Communist era saw a gradual consolidation of power, with the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) emerging as the dominant political force and the BZNS dying out and being used as a "symbolic" second party. By 1986, in the elections for the Ninth (or Thirty-fifth Ordinary National Assembly), an astonishing 99.91% of voters reportedly cast their ballots in favor of the candidates, with 400 deputies elected (69% from the BCP, 24.75% from the BZNS, and 6.25% non-party).

The Democratic Transition

The transition to democracy in Bulgaria was marked by the elections for the Seventh Grand National Assembly on June 10, 1990, which were the first free and democratic elections in the country since 1931. With a reported voter turnout of 90.79%, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP, the successor to the BCP) received 47.1% of the votes, followed by the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS) with 36.2%, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) with 5.75%, and the BZNS with 4%.

Since the fall of communism, Bulgaria has held regular parliamentary elections, with the most recent one occurring in April 2023. The electoral system has undergone several changes, initially employing a mixed system with both proportional representation and majority voting, before reverting to a fully proportional system in 2013.

Throughout its history, the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria have reflected the country's political evolution, from the initial struggles between liberal and conservative forces to the dominance of the communist regime and, ultimately, the establishment of a multi-party democratic system. While the electoral process has faced various challenges and critiques over the years, it remains a cornerstone of Bulgaria's democratic institutions and a reflection of the nation's ongoing journey towards a more inclusive and representative form of governance.

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