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Bulgaria

Monthly Event Reports

December 2023 | Parliament adopts amendments to the constitution

The parliament approved the most extensive set of constitutional amendments since its adoption in 1991, with 165 votes in favour (PP-DB, GERB-SDS, and DPS), 71 against (Revival, BSP, and ITN), and one abstention (Boyko Rashkov). These amendments bring significant changes to the judiciary, addressing a long-standing EU request by reducing the Prosecutor General’s powers. They also limit the president's powers in appointing a caretaker cabinet, introduce measures to democratize the election process for regulatory and control authorities, and allow Bulgarian citizens with dual citizenship to serve as MPs and ministers. Justice Minister Atanas Slavov emphasized that these changes are a crucial step toward aligning the country with European democratic standards. The pro-Russian opposition and President Rumen Radev oppose the amendments. In January 2024, President Radev referred the revisions to the Constitutional Court, expressing concerns about their constitutionality and potential implications for the governance of the country.

September 2023 | Government required to recognize same-sex relationships

On 5 September, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the government’s failure to legally recognize same-sex couples violates the European Convention on Human Rights. The case was brought to the ECHR by two Bulgarian women whose marriage in the United Kingdom was not recognized by the authorities. While this landmark decision does not mandate the country to legalize same-sex marriages in the country, it does require its authorities to create a legal framework in collaboration with the Council of Europe to ensure the protection of same-sex couples going forward. 

August 2023 | Parliament expands domestic violence law to apply beyond married couples

Following a brutal attack on an 18-year-old woman and subsequent mass protests, the parliament passed amendments to the Criminal Code and the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence in an extraordinary session by a vote of 144-58, with eight MPs abstaining. The changes introduce the term “intimate relationships,” expanding the legal framework beyond cases of marital domestic violence, although it remains limited to heterosexual relationships. The legislation was supported by the ruling coalition of Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB)/United Democratic Forces, the We Continue the Change/Democratic Bulgaria bloc, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. However, GERB joined the opposition parties, the far-right Vazrazhdane, the populist There Is Such a People (ITN), and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) in the proposal to include only relationships between men and women in the law. The law has drawn criticism from activists and experts for its exclusion of relationships shorter than 60 days.

July 2023 | Release of perpetrator of gender-based violence causes anger and protests

Protests against violence towards women, which are rare in the country, took place in different cities. In the capital, Sofia, approximately 5,000 protesters took to the streets. A brutal attack against an 18-year-old woman by her former partner, which took place on 26 June, made the headlines at the end of July, when it emerged that the perpetrator, 26-year-old Georgi Georgiev, was discharged on 5 July as the court classified the injuries he inflicted as “minor bodily injury,” despite the victim requiring 400 stitches for her wounds. Georgiev also had a prior criminal record and was already on probation. He remained free until 30 July when, following public pressure, authorities arrested him for death threats he had sent to the victim before the attack. The protests have shone light on the issue of gender-based violence in Bulgaria, which has not ratified the Istanbul Convention, an international treaty aimed at combating gender-based violence. A survey by the National Statistics Institute at the end of 2022 found that one third of women aged 18-29 said they had experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence from an intimate partner, while 20 per cent of those between 18 and 74 reported the same.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
6 877 743
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov (since 2023)
Head of government party
We Continue the Change
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
25.4%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
6.57
Head of state
President Rumen Radev
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
06/11/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
82.83%
Population Tooltip
6 877 743
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov (since 2023)
Head of government party
We Continue the Change
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
25.4%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2023
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
6.57
Head of state
President Rumen Radev
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
06/11/2020
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
82.83%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 4 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 6 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 7 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
Protocol No. 12 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
No Action
Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
State Party
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
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Representation neutral Rights
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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