 Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form:Bulgaria local long form:Republika Balgariya local short form:Balgariya
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name:Sofiageographic coordinates:42 41 N, 23 19 E time difference:UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time:+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya (Sofia), Sofiya-Grad (Sofia City), Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Independence:
3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Constitution:
several previous; latest drafted between late 1990 and early 1991, adopted 12 July 1991; amended several times, last in 2007 (2007)
Legal system:
civil law
International law organization participation:
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:President Rosen PLEVNELIEV (since 22 January 2012); Vice President Margarita POPOVA (since 22 January 2012)head of government:Prime Minister Plamen ORESHARSKI (since 29 May 2013), Deputy Prime Ministers Zinaida ZLATANOVA (since 29 May 2013), Tsvetlin YOVCHEV (since June 2013), and Daniela BOBEVA (since June 2013) cabinet:Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly elections:president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 and 30 October 2011 (next to be held in 2016); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly election results:Rosen PLEVNELIEV elected president in a runoff election; percent of vote - Rosen PLEVNELIEV 52.6%, Ivailo KALFIN 47.4%; Plamen ORESHARSKI elected prime minister; result of legislative vote - 120 to 97
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)elections:last held on 12 May 2013 (next to be held spring 2017) election results:percent of vote by party - GERB 30.5%, BSP 26.6%, MRF 11.3%, Ataka 7.3%; seats by party - GERB 97, BSP 84, MRF 36, Ataka 23
Judicial branch:
highest court(s):Supreme Court of Cassation (consists of a chairman and approximately 72 judges organized into penal, civil, and commercial colleges); Supreme Administrative Court (organized in 2 colleges with various panels of 5 judges each); Constitutional Court (consists of 12 justices); note - Constitutional Court resides outside the Judiciaryjudge selection and term of office:Supreme Court of Cassation and Supreme Administrative judges elected by the Supreme Judicial Council or SJC (consists of 25 members with extensive legal experience) and appointed by the president; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court justices elected by the National Assembly and appointed by the president and the SJC; justices appointed for 9-year terms with renewal of four justices every 3 years subordinate courts:appeals courts; regional and district courts; administrative courts; courts martial
| | Political parties and leaders:
Attack (Ataka) [Volen Nikolov SIDEROV]Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV] Bulgaria of the Citizens [Meglena KUNEVA] Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Boyko BORISOV] Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB [Sergei STANISHEV] (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Radan KANEV] Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV] Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Lyutvi MESTAN] National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria or NFSB [Valeri SIMEONOV] National Movement for Stability and Progress or NDSV [Hristina HRISTOVA] (formerly National Movement Simeon II or NMS2) Order, Law, and Justice or RZS [Yane YANEV] Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Bozhidar LUKARSKI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SELEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Elena POPTODOROVA (since 4 August 2010)chancery:1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone:[1] (202) 387-0174 FAX:[1] (202) 234-7973 consulate(s) general:Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Marcie B. RIES (since 5 September 2012)embassy:16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1408 mailing address:American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740 telephone:[359] (2) 937-5100 FAX:[359] (2) 937-5320
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the pan-Slavic white-blue-red colors were modified by substituting a green band (representing freedom) for the blue
National symbol(s):
lion
National anthem:
name:'Mila Rodino' (Dear Homeland)
lyrics/music:Tsvetan Tsvetkov RADOSLAVOV note:adopted 1964; the anthem was composed in 1885 by a student en route to fight in the Serbo-Bulgarian War |