Movement for Rights and Freedoms facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Movement for Rights and Freedoms
Движение за права и свободи
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| Abbreviation | DPS |
| Chairperson | Delyan Peevski Dzhevdet Chakarov |
| Honorary President | Ahmed Dogan |
| Founded | 4 January 1990 |
| Headquarters | 45A Alexander Stamboliyski Blvd., Sofia |
| Youth wing | Youth movement for rights and freedoms |
| Membership (2018) |  40,000 |
| Ideology |
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| Political position | Centre |
| Regional affiliation | Liberal South East European Network |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| European Parliament group | Renew Europe |
| Colors | Blue |
| National Assembly |
44 / 240
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| European Parliament |
3 / 17
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| Municipalities |
48 / 265
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The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (often called DPS) is a political party in Bulgaria. It's known for representing the interests of different minority groups in the country.
This party is a member of the Liberal International and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE). These are big groups for political parties around the world and in Europe.
The DPS mainly supports the interests of Muslims, especially Turks and Pomaks (who are Muslim Bulgarians). It also gets a lot of votes from Romani people.
Contents
How the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Started
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms was officially created in 1990. Its founder, Ahmed Dogan, was the leader for many years, until 2013.
In 2013, Lyutvi Mestan became the new chairman. However, he was later removed from his position. This happened because he showed strong support for Turkey during a disagreement with Russia in 2015.
After this, Ahmed Dogan was not allowed to enter Turkey by the Turkish President. Lyutfi Mestan then started his own political party. It was called "Democrats for Responsibility, Solidarity and Tolerance."
How the Party Performed in Elections
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms was the first political party for the Turkish minority to take part in parliamentary elections. This was after the end of the communist government in Bulgaria.
In the first election in 1990, the party won 6.0% of the votes. They got 24 out of 400 seats in the parliament. This made them the fourth largest party.
In the 1991 election, they won 7.6% of the votes and kept 24 seats. This time, the parliament had 240 seats.
National Assembly Elections
From 2001 to 2009, the party was part of the government. They joined forces with other parties to form a "coalition government." This means different parties work together to lead the country.
The DPS had ministers in charge of different government departments during these years. For example, they controlled the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.
In the 2005 elections, their support grew to 12.8% of the votes. They won 34 seats and stayed in the government as part of another coalition.
In the 2009 elections, they got even more votes, reaching 14.0%. They won 38 seats. However, a different party won the election, and the DPS became an opposition party. This means they were not part of the government.
In the 2013 election, their votes went down to 11.3%. They won 36 seats and remained the third biggest party. The DPS also won the most votes from Bulgarians living in other countries, especially in Turkey.
The tables below show how the Movement for Rights and Freedoms has done in elections for the Bulgarian Parliament (National Assembly) over the years.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 491,596 | 8.03 (#3) |
23 / 400
|
 23 |
Opposition |
| 1991 | 418,168 | 7.6 (#3) |
24 / 240
|
1 |
Coalition |
| 1994 | 283,094 | 5.44 (#4) |
15 / 240
|
9 |
Opposition |
| 1997 | 323,429 | 7.6 (#3) |
19 / 240
|
4 |
Opposition |
| 2001 | 340,395 | 7.45 (#4) |
21 / 240
|
2 |
Coalition |
| 2005 | 467,400 | 12.81 (#3) |
34 / 240
|
13 |
Coalition |
| 2009 | 610,521 | 14.45 (#3) |
38 / 240
|
4 |
Opposition |
| 2013 | 400,466 | 11.31 (#3) |
36 / 240
|
2 |
Coalition |
| 2014 | 487,134 | 14.84 (#3) |
38 / 240
|
2 |
Opposition |
| 2017 | 315,976 | 8.99 (#4) |
26 / 240
|
12 |
Opposition |
| Apr 2021 | 336,306 | 10.51 (#4) |
30 / 240
|
4 |
Snap election |
| Jul 2021 | 292,514 | 10.71 (#5) |
29 / 240
|
1 |
Snap election |
| Nov 2021 | 340,997 | 12.83 (#3) |
34 / 240
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5 |
Opposition |
| 2022 | 344,625 | 13.76 (#3) |
36 / 240
|
2 |
Snap election |
| 2023 | 347,700 | 13.18 (#4) |
36 / 240
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 0 |
Support |
European Parliament Elections
The DPS also takes part in elections for the European Parliament. This is a group of lawmakers from all over Europe. In 2009, the party won 14.1% of the votes in Bulgaria. They got three Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Two of these MEPs were ethnic Turks, and one was an ethnic Bulgarian.
In the 2014 European Parliament elections, the DPS won four MEPs.
| Election | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 392,650 | 20.26 (#3) |
4 / 18
|
4 |
| 2009 | 364,197 | 14.14 (#3) |
3 / 18
|
1 |
| 2014 | 386,725 | 17.27 (#3) |
4 / 17
|
1 |
| 2019 | 323,510 | 16.55 (#3) |
3 / 17
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1 |
The Party's Role in Europe
In the European Parliament, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms is part of a group called Renew Europe. They have three MEPs in this group.
The party also has members in the European Committee of the Regions. This committee gives advice on laws that affect local areas in Europe. The DPS has two full members and two alternate members in the Renew Europe CoR group.
See also
In Spanish: Movimiento por los Derechos y Libertades para niños
- Political machine
- List of liberal parties
- Political parties of minorities
- Liberalism and radicalism in Bulgaria
- Turks in Bulgaria
