President of Bulgaria facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Bulgaria
Coat of arms of Bulgaria
Incumbent Rumen Radev since 22 January 2017
Style	His Excellency (diplomatic) Mr. President (informal, more widely used)
Residence	Sofia (office), Boyana [bg] (residential)
Appointer	Popular vote
Term length	Five years, renewable once
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Bulgaria (1995)
Precursor	State Council (1971-1990) Chairman (President) (1990-1992)
Inaugural holder	Zhelyu Zhelev Modern presidency; Petar Mladenov as inaugural Chairman (President)
Formation	3 April 1990; 35 years ago (1990-04-03) (chairman (president) 22 January 1992; 33 years ago (1992-01-22) (modern presidency)
Deputy	Vice President
Salary	5 646€ ~=> 11 044BulLev per month

The President of the Republic of Bulgaria is the head of state for Bulgaria. This means they are the main representative of the country. They are also the commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Army, leading the country's military. The President's official home is the Boyana Residence in Sofia. Rumen Radev became the President of Bulgaria on January 22, 2017, after winning the election on November 13, 2016.

In Bulgaria, the President's job is mostly symbolic. They act like an 'arbitrator', helping to solve disagreements between different parts of the government. The President is not the head of government and is not part of the main executive power. However, if there is no prime minister, the President gets to choose a temporary government. This gives them a lot of power during those times. For example, Presidents Zhelyu Zhelev, Petar Stoyanov, Rosen Plevneliev, and Rumen Radev have all appointed temporary governments. Sometimes, the President has even chosen the prime minister. A President serves for five years and can be elected only two times. Once someone has been President for two terms, they cannot be elected again. Every year on New Year's Eve, the President speaks to the nation on television, just before the new year begins.

How the President is Elected

Who Can Become President?

To become the President of Bulgaria, a person must meet certain requirements:

• They must be a Bulgarian citizen from birth.
• They must be at least 40 years old.
• They must have lived in Bulgaria for the five years right before they run for office.
• They must also meet all the requirements to be a representative in Bulgaria's National Assembly (Parliament).

How Voting Works

The President is chosen directly by the people of Bulgaria. They use a special voting system called a two-round election.

• In the first round, if a candidate gets more than half (50%) of the votes, and at least half of the people eligible to vote actually voted, then that candidate wins right away.
• If no one gets more than 50% of the votes, or if not enough people voted, then the two candidates with the most votes go to a second round.
• In the second round, the candidate who gets the most votes wins the election.

Rules for the President

The President cannot also be a member of the National Assembly (Parliament). They also cannot hold any other government, public, or private jobs while they are President. The President is also not allowed to be a leader of a political party while in office. Even though the Constitution doesn't stop them from being a regular member of a party, most people in Bulgaria expect the President to be fair and not take sides in politics. Because of this, a President-elect usually gives up any political party membership.

Presidential Powers and Benefits

The President of Bulgaria has many important duties and powers. These are explained in Chapter 4 of the 1991 Constitution of Bulgaria. The President is chosen by a popular vote and serves for five years. They can serve for a second term.

What the President Can Do

Here are some of the President's powers:

• They can give, bring back, or take away Bulgarian citizenship. They can also grant refugee status.
• They can choose and remove important government officials.
• They have the right to pardon people who have been found guilty of crimes. They can also forgive certain debts owed to the government.
• They can change the names of villages, towns, cities, and important national places.
• They are the Supreme commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.
• They represent Bulgaria both inside the country and when dealing with other countries.
• They set the dates for national and local elections, following the law.
• They can stop a new law from being passed by the National Assembly by refusing to sign it. This is called a veto.
• They can declare war, martial law, or other states of emergency. They do this with help from the Consultative Council on National Security.
• They can give out awards and medals to people.

Legal Protection for the President

The President has special legal immunity while in office. This means they cannot be held responsible for things they do as part of their job, unless it's for treason or breaking the Bulgarian Constitution. Their power can only be taken away through a process called impeachment. They cannot be arrested or charged with a crime while they are President.

Presidents of Bulgaria (1990–Present)

List of presidents of Bulgaria from 1990 – till date.

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term	Party		Endorsing parties	Election	Vice President
1		Zhelyu Zhelev (1935–2015)	August 1, 1990 – January 22, 1997		SDS	DPS	1990	Atanas Semerdzhiev
							1992	Blaga Dimitrova
								Vacant: July 6, 1993 – January 22, 1997
2		Petar Stoyanov (1952–)	January 22, 1997 – January 22, 2002		SDS	DPS	1996	Todor Kavaldzhiev
3		Georgi Parvanov (1957–)	January 22, 2002 – January 22, 2012		BSP	DPS	2001	Angel Marin
						DPS NDSV	2006
4		Rosen Plevneliev (1964–)	January 22, 2012 – January 22, 2017		GERB	-	2011	Margarita Popova
5		Rumen Radev (1963–)	January 22, 2017 – Incumbent		BSP	BSP	2016	Iliana Iotova
						BSP ITN IBG-NI PP	2021

The Vice President's Role

The President gets help from the Vice President. If the President is away, the Vice President takes their place. If the President dies, resigns, is removed from office, or cannot do their job because of illness, the Vice President takes over until a new election is held. The Constitution allows the President to let the Vice President handle some tasks. These include appointing officials, giving pardons, and dealing with citizenship or refugee requests. The Vice President has the same legal protection as the President and can only be removed from office in the same way.

When a President's Term Ends

According to the Constitution, a President's term ends in a few ways:

• When their five-year term is finished.
• If they decide to resign (step down) before the Constitutional Court.
• If they become permanently unable to do their job due to a serious illness.
• If the President dies while in office.
• If the President is impeached.

What is Impeachment?

Impeachment is a serious process that can only start if the President has committed treason (betraying their country) or has broken the Constitution of Bulgaria.

• It begins when at least one-quarter of the members of the National Assembly (Parliament) formally accuse the President.
• This accusation must then be approved by a large majority (two-thirds) of all elected representatives.
• If approved, the case goes to the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria. This court has one month to decide if the President is guilty of the accused crime.
• If the Constitutional Court finds the President guilty, then the President is successfully impeached and loses their power.

Who Takes Over if the President Can't Serve?

If the President cannot continue their duties, here is the order of who takes over:

• 1. The Vice President of Bulgaria
• 2. The Chairman of the National Assembly (Parliament)
• 3. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria

Latest Election Information

2021 Bulgarian general election

More to Explore

The Bulgarian President's Office

• Government of Bulgaria
• History of Bulgaria
• Politics of Bulgaria
• List of heads of state of Bulgaria
• List of presidents of Bulgaria (1990-present)
• Prime Minister of Bulgaria
  • List of prime ministers of Bulgaria