![Flag](https://flagcdn.com/w160/bg.png)
Bulgaria
![Bulgaria Featured image](/democracytracker/sites/default/files/2023-02/Bulgaria-1.jpg)
Bulgaria performs in the mid-range across all categories of the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) framework. It scores in the top 25 per cent of countries in several factors including Freedom of Movement, Political Equality, Economic Equality, Gender Equality, and Civil Society. Over the last five years (2018-2023), Bulgaria has experienced significant improvements in Access to Justice, Effective Parliament, and Absence of Corruption. It is an upper-middle-income country, with its economy primarily driven by services, along with industry and a growing tourism sector.
A coalition of Balkan countries led by the Russian Empire ended the five-century Ottoman occupation in 1878, and the Treaty of Berlin reshaped the map of the Balkans, including Bulgaria’s borders. The country gained de jure independence in 1908. Following World War II, it fell under single-party Communist rule, becoming the Soviet Union's (USSR) most trusted satellite state and even applying to join the USSR. The peaceful transition to democracy began in 1989, with the first democratic elections in 1990. Unlike its neighbors, weak opposition to the communist regime allowed communist officials to dominate 1990s politics. In 2001, former King Simeon II's election as Prime Minister marked the rise of populism and personalism, shifting political debates towards nationalism versus European integration. The far-right, some of whom advocated against minorities and in favour of a more monoethnic society, withdrawal from NATO, and opposition to adopting the Euro, achieved an electoral breakthrough in the 2023 parliamentary elections and maintained the same voter support in the 2024 elections, further underscoring this political shift. Nationalist political rhetoric in Bulgaria has enflamed relations with North Macedonia due to disputes on shared history and language and reopened questions regarding Russian influence.
Further corroding Bulgarians’ political discourse is the endemic presence of corruption. In 2023, Bulgaria had the second highest levels of perceived corruption in the EU, according to Transparency International. While there are some prospects for recovery (for example, Ivan Geshev, a controversial chief prosecutor, was removed from office in 2023, and reforms were implemented to help ensure effective criminal investigations), these are tempered by frequent political upheaval and entrenched interests.
Bulgaria’s performance on Gender Equality has been consistently high for the past few decades, bolstered by the Law on Equality between Women and Men in 2016. Still, sexism and violence against women (and domestic violence) remain persistent, though 2023 amendments to the criminal code, which expanded domestic violence law to apply beyond married couples, could lead to positive changes. Recently, transgender people were banned from legally changing their gender. The Council of Europe identified the LGBTQIA+ community and the Roma as primary targets of hate speech and prejudice in Bulgaria. The Roma, constituting the second largest minority group (4.4 per cent), face widespread poverty and discrimination, especially in education and housing.
A rapidly declining population due to high emigration and low birth rates, a healthcare system plagued by crises, and one of the highest levels of poverty and social exclusion in the EU may persist as structural challenges. These could impact Rights, particularly Basic Welfare, Social Group Equality and Economic Equality. Addressing these issues has proven difficult, exacerbated by political instability. Looking ahead, particular attention must be given to the Effective Parliament and Rule of Law, with a special focus on Absence of Corruption and Judicial Independence.
Last Updated: June 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
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.
Sources: Parliament of Bulgaria, Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), The Sofia Globe (1), The Sofia Globe (2), Euractiv Bulgaria, Novinite (1), Novinite (2)
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.
Sources: European Court of Human Rights, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Bulgaria), Balkan Insight, Human Rights Watch
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.
Sources: International IDEA, Bulgarian News Agency, Novinite, Veridica, Radio Free Europe Bulgaria, Balkan Insight
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.
Sources: Darik News, Euractiv, Radio Free Europe Bulgaria (1), Radio Free Europe Bulgaria (2), National Statistics Institute of Bulgaria
See all event reports for this country
GSoD Indices Data 2014-2023
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
Performance by category over the last 6 months
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time