BULGARIA |
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The Republic of Bulgaria is a republic in the southeast of Europe. It
borders the Black Sea to the east, Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia
and Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the
north along the river Danube.
Politics
The president of Bulgaria is directly elected for a 5-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. The president is the head of the
Consultative Council for National Security and while unable to initiate
legislation, the President can return a bill for further debate, though
parliament can overturn the president's veto with a simple majority vote.
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The Bulgarian unicameral parliament, the National Assembly or Narodno
Sabranie, consists of 240 deputies who are elected for 4-term stretches by
popular vote. The votes are for party or coalition lists of candidates for
each of the nine administrative divisions. A party or coalition must garner
a minimum of 4% of the vote in order to enter parliament. Parliament is
responsible 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.
Regions
Since 1999 Bulgaria consists of 28 regions (oblasti, singular - oblast),
after having been subdivided into 9 provinces since 1987. All are named
after the regional capital, with the national capital itself forming a
separate region:
Blagoevgrad
Burgas
Dobrich
Gabrovo
Khaskovo
Kurdzhali
Kyustendil
Lovech
Montana
Pazardzhik
Pernik
Pleven
Plovdiv
Razgrad
Ruse
Shumen
Silistra
Sliven
Smolyan
Sofia
Sofia Region
Stara Zagora
Turgovishte
Varna
Veliko Turnovo
Vidin
Vratsa
Yambol
Demographics
According to the 2001 census, Bulgaria's population is mainly ethnic
Bulgarian (83.9%), with two sizable minorities in the form of Turks (9.4%)
and Roma (4.7%). The remaining 2% consist of several smaller minorities
including Armenians, Russians, Romanians, Vlachs and Jews. 84.8% of the
Bulgarian population speak Bulgarian, a member of the Slavic languages,
which is the only official language, but other languages are spoken,
corresponding closely to their respective ethnic minorities.
Most Bulgarians (82.6%) are at least nominally a member of the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church, the national Eastern Orthodox church. Other religious
denominations include Islam (12.2%), Roman Catholicism (0.6%), various
Protestant denominations (0.5%), with other denominations, atheists and
undeclared numbering ca. 4.1%. |
