Global Law & Government
Bulgaria Law & Government
Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991
Legal system: based on civil law system with Soviet law influence; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997); Vice President Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22
January 1997)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Ivan Kostov (since 19 May 1997); Deputy
Prime Ministers Aleksandur BOZHKOV (since 12 February 1997 Evgeniy BAKURDZHIEV (since 21 May 1997), Veselin
METODIEV (since 21 May 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 27
October and 3 November 1996 (next to 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; members are 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