| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Narodno Sabranie / National Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
25 June 2005 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
On 14 April 2005 the President of the Republic, Mr. Georgi Parvanov, announced the date for parliamentary elections on 25 June 2005. It would be the second time since 1999 that parliament and government had completed their full four-year term.
Elections four years earlier had witnessed a landslide victory for the National Movement Simeon II (NMSS), led by former King Simeon II. It had won 120 seats, while its main rival, the Coalition for Bulgaria (CB) secured 48. A right-wing coalition, the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), held 51, and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), representing Bulgaria's 800,000 Muslims, mainly ethnic Turks, won 12 seats.
The outgoing coalition government, composed of the NMSS and the MRF, had taken office promising to improve the country's economy and bring it to the level of Member States of the European Union (EU). It also promoted Bulgaria's accession to the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and sent Bulgarian troops into Iraq. While Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg's policies had indeed boosted Bulgaria's economy, he has been criticized for failing to deal with corruption, organized crime and poverty in a country where the average monthly salary is around 200 euros.
A total of 6,666 candidates stood for elections. They included candidates from 22 parties and coalitions, and 13 independent candidates. Pre-election polls predicted victory for the CB. It comprised eight parties led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), a former communist party. At these elections, the BSP was led by Mr. Sergei Stanishev, who strongly supports Bulgaria's accession to NATO and the EU. Although the CB had originally supported Bulgaria's participation in the US-led coalition in Iraq, it promised to withdraw Bulgarian troops from Iraq if voted into office.
Before the elections the government announced that it would organize a lottery with prizes including a car worth 15,000 euros to boost voter turnout, particularly since supporters of the government were reportedly more hesitant to take part in the election. This measure was criticized by opposition parties and the President. Some opposition parties brought the case to the Supreme Administrative Court, arguing that the prizes should not be paid for by tax payers' money, but the court rejected their application.
The 2005 elections were held not only in Bulgaria but also in 72 countries for Bulgarians living abroad.
Despite the lottery incentive, the elections saw the lowest voter turnout in the past 16 years. Only 55.76 per cent of the 6.7 million eligible voters cast their ballots, representing a decrease of almost 10 per cent from the previous elections.
The elections were observed by 12 international experts from 11 OSCE participating States. The OSCE praised the elections, which demonstrated the credibility of the election process in Bulgaria, but criticized the government's direct role in financing and organizing the lottery against the wishes of most political parties and electoral commission staff.
Final results showed that seven political forces had reached the 4% threshold entitling them to seats. The Socialist-led CB coalition obtained the most seats, 82 of a total of 240, while Mr. Simeon's NMSS won 53. The Attack Coalition (CA) became the first ultranationalist force to be represented in parliament since the collapse of communism by securing 21 seats. The UDF won 20 seats, Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) 17, and the Bulgarian People's Union (BPU) 13 seats.
The new parliament held its first session on 11 July 2005 and elected Mr. Georgi Pirinski as its speaker.
On 15 August 2005, the Parliament approved a new government formed by the Coalition for Bulgaria, the National Movement Simeon II (NMSS) and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. This government is led by the Socialist Party leader, Mr. Sergey Stanishev, as prime minister. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 25 June 2005 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
6'720'941
3'747'793 (55.76%)
99'616
3'648'177 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Coalition for Bulgaria (CB) |
|
1'129'196 |
|
|
30.95 |
|
|
| National Movement Simeon II (SND) |
|
725'314 |
|
|
19.88 |
|
|
| Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) |
|
467'400 |
|
|
12.81 |
|
|
| Attack coalition (CA) |
|
296'848 |
|
|
8.14 |
|
|
| Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) |
|
280'323 |
|
|
7.68 |
|
|
| Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) |
|
234'788 |
|
|
6.44 |
|
|
| Bulgarian People's Union (BPU) |
|
189'268 |
|
|
5.19 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| Coalition for Bulgaria (CB) |
82
|
|
|
|
|
| National Movement Simeon II (SND) |
53
|
|
|
|
|
| Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) |
34
|
|
|
|
|
| Attack coalition (CA) |
21
|
|
|
|
|
| Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) |
20
|
|
|
|
|
| Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) |
17
|
|
|
|
|
| Bulgarian People's Union (BPU) |
13
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
190
50
20.83%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
|
3
37
89
85
26
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Legal professions |
57 |
| Engineers/PC experts |
49 |
| Economists |
38 |
| Scientists |
27 |
| Educators |
20 |
| Medical professions |
20 |
| Unknown |
16 |
| Others |
12 |
| Liberal professions (including artists, authors) and sports professionals |
10 |
| Media-related professions (journalists/publishers) |
10 |
| Architects |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Source:
- Website of the National Assembly (http://www.parliament.bg/)
- IPU Group of Bulgaria (04.07.2005)
- National Assembly (01.01.2008)
- Central Electoral Commission - Bulletin for the results of the parliamentary elections held on 25 June 2005
- Sofia News Agency (http://www.novinite.com/)
After the formation of the new government, seats of 17 ministers were replaced by new members.
In all, 53 women were sworn in. |
|
A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page