Bulgaria joined NATO on March 29,
2004 and signed the European Union
Treaty of Accession on 25 April
2005. It became a full
member of the European Union on 1 January 2007.
The country had joined the United Nations in 1955, and became a founding
member of OSCE in
1995. As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty,
Bulgaria takes part in the governing of the territories situated south of 60°
south latitude.[33][34]
Georgi Parvanov,
the President of Bulgaria since 22 January
2002, won re-election on 29 October
2006 and began his second
term in office in January 2007. (Bulgarian voters directly elect their
presidents for a five-year term with the right to one re-election.) The
president serves as the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He
also chairs the Consultative Council for National Security. While unable to
initiate legislation
other than Constitutional amendments, the President can return a bill for
further debate, although the parliament can override the President's veto by
vote of a majority of all MPs.
Since 17 August
2005 Sergey Stanishev
as Prime Minister has chaired the Council of Ministers, the principal body
of the executive branch, which presently consists of 20 ministers. The Prime Minister —
usually nominated by the largest parliamentary group — receives the mandate of
the President to form a cabinet.
The current
governmental coalition comprises the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), National Movement Simeon II (NMSII) and
the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
(representing mainly the Turkish minority).
The Bulgarian unicameral
parliament,
the National Assembly or Narodno Sabranie
(Народно събрание), consists of 240 deputies, each elected for four-year terms
by popular vote. The votes go to parties or to coalition-lists of candidates
for each of the 28 administrative divisions. A party or coalition
must win a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament
has the responsibility for enactment of laws, approval of the budget,
scheduling of presidential elections, selection and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers,
declaration of war, deployment of troops outside of Bulgaria, and ratification
of international treaties and agreements.
The most recent
elections took place in June 2005. The next
scheduled elections should take place in summer 2009.
The Bulgarian judicial system consists of
regional, district and appeal courts, as well as a Supreme Court of Cassation.
In addition, Bulgaria has a Supreme Administrative Court and a system of
military courts. A qualified majority of two-thirds of the membership of the
Supreme Judicial Council elects the Presidents of the Supreme Court of
Cassation and of the Supreme Administrative Court, as well as the Prosecutor
General, from among its members; the President of the Republic then appoints
those elected. The Supreme Judicial Council has charge of the
self-administration and organization of the Judiciary.
The Constitutional Court supervises the review of
the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it, as well as the
compliance of these laws with international treaties that the Government has
signed. Parliament elects the twelve members of the Constitutional Court by a
two-thirds majority: the members serve for a nine-year term.
The territory of the Republic of Bulgaria
subdivides into provinces and municipalities. In all, Bulgaria has 28
provinces, each headed by a provincial governor appointed by the government. In
addition, the country includes 263 municipalities.
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