23 Presidential candidates and 23 Vice Presidential candidates are running for President and Vice President of Bulgaria today. The Presidential elections take place simultaneously with the early Parliamentary elections.

12 candidates were nominated by initiative committees and the rest were nominated by political parties. The main political forces have not nominated their own candidates, but voiced their support for individuals nominated by initiative committees. Regardless of who stands behind the nominees, the President of Bulgaria must be unbiased and embody the unity of the nation. 

For a president to be elected in the first round, a 50% plus one rule applies meaning that a successful candidate needs one vote over 50% to win the elections. In addition, more than 50% of the eligible voters must vote at the Presidential elections. Otherwise, a run-off election takes place within 7 days and the candidate who earns the highest number of votes is elected as the new President.

The history of the Presidential elections in Bulgarian began on April 2, 1990, when the National Assembly elected Petar Mladenov as president (chairman) of this country. Earlier, Petar Mladenov took over the country’s government after Todor Zhivkov was removed from power on November 10, 1989. On August 1, 1990, following Petar Mladenov’s resignation, the 7^th Grand National Assembly elected philosopher Dr. Zhelyu Zhelev as president (chairman) of the republic. In 1989, Dr. Zhelev established the Union of Democratic Forces and was named its chairman.

According to Bulgaria’s constitution, the President embodies the unity of the nation and represents the Republic of Bulgaria in international relations.

Editing by: Darina Grigorova

English version: Kostadin Atanasov