Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria

Data code BU

Government type emerging democracy

National capital Sofia

Administrative divisions 9 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo,Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya, Varna

Independence 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)

National holiday Independence Day, 3 March (1878)

Constitution adopted 12 July 1991

Legal system based on civil law system with Soviet law influence; accepts compulsoryICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
chief of state: President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997); Vice President TodorKAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January 1997)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Ivan Kostov (since19 May 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers Aleksandur BOZHKOV (since 12 February1997 Evgeniy BAKURDZHIEV (since 21 May 1997), Veselin METODIEV (since 21 May1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular votefor five-year terms; election last held 27 October and 3 November 1996 (nextto be held NA 2001); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister)appointed by the president
election results: Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of vote - Petar STOYANOV 59.73%

Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; membersare popularly elected to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 19 April 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results : percent of vote by party - UDF 52%, BSP 22%, ANS 7%, Euro-left 5.5%,BBB 4.95%; seats by party - UDF 137, BSP 58, ANS 19, Euro-left 14, BBB 12

Judicial branch Supreme Court, chairman appointed for a seven-year term by the president;Constitutional Court, 12 justices appointed or elected for a nine-year term

Political parties and leaders Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Georgi PURVANOV, chairman]; Unionof Democratic Forces or UDF (an alliance of pro-Democratic parties) [IvanKOSTOV]; Euro-left [Alexander TOMOV]; Alliance for National Salvation or ANS(coalition led mainly by Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]);Bulgarian Business Bloc or BBB [George GANCHEV]

Political pressure groups and leaders Democratic Alliance for the Republic or DAR; New Union for Democracyor NUD; Ecoglasnost; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; Fatherland Union; BulgarianCommunist Party or BCP; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgariaor KNSB; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union - United or BZNS; Bulgarian DemocraticCenter; "Nikola Petkov" Bulgarian Agrarian National Union; Internal MacedonianRevolutionary Organization - Union of Macedonian Societies or IMRO-UMS; numerousregional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas

International organization participation ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9,IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF,IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest),NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOT,UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Snezhana Damianova BOTUSHAROVA
chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone : [1] (202) 387-7969
FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Avis T. BOHLEN (22 July 1996)
embassy : 1 Saborna Street, Sofia
mailing address: Embassy Sofia, Department of State, Washington, DC 50521-5740
telephone: [359] (2) 980-52-41 through 48
FAX: [359] (2) 981-89-77

Flag description three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the nationalemblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - itcontained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointedstar and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established)and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)

NOTE: The information regarding Bulgaria on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Bulgaria Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Bulgaria Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.