Movement for Rights and Freedoms facts for kids
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Movement for Rights and Freedoms
Движение за права и свободи
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| Abbreviation | DPS |
| Leader | Delyan Peevski |
| Founded | 4 January 1990 |
| Headquarters | 23 Vrabcha Str., Sofia |
| Youth wing | Youth movement for rights and freedoms |
| Membership (2018) |  40,000 |
| Ideology | |
| National affiliation | DPS – New Beginning |
| Regional affiliation | None Formerly: Liberal South East European Network (2008–2024) |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (2005–2024) |
| International affiliation | Liberal International (2003–2024) |
| European Parliament group | Non-Inscrits (since 2024) |
| Colors | Blue |
| National Assembly | Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value). |
| European Parliament | Lua error in Module:European_and_national_party_data/config at line 227: attempt to index field 'data' (a nil value). |
| Municipalities |
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| Website | |
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The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (often called DPS) is a political party in Bulgaria. A political party is a group of people who share similar ideas about how a country should be run. They work together to get their members elected to government.
The DPS party is especially supported by people from different minority groups in Bulgaria. This includes Turks, Pomaks (who are Muslim Bulgarians), and Romani people. The party aims to represent their interests and ensure their rights and freedoms are protected.
Contents
The Story of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms party officially started in 1990. Its founder, Ahmed Dogan, was the leader for many years, until 2013.
Changes in Leadership
In 2013, Lyutvi Mestan became the second leader of the party. However, he was later removed from his position. This happened because he supported Turkey after it shot down a Russian military jet in 2015. Ahmed Dogan disagreed with this support and insisted Mestan be removed.
After this, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan did not allow Ahmed Dogan to enter Turkey. Lyutvi Mestan then started his own political party.
Recent Leadership Changes
Before the October 2024 elections, there was a disagreement about who should lead the party. This caused the party members to split into two groups. One group supported Ahmed Dogan and was led by Dzhevdet Chakarov. The other group was led by Delyan Peevski.
A court in Bulgaria decided that the group led by Delyan Peevski was the official DPS party. After this, the group supporting Dogan changed its name. Delyan Peevski was then recognized as the only leader of the DPS. He also removed Ahmed Dogan from his role as honorary president.
In May 2025, Dzhevdet Chakarov officially stepped down from claiming to be a leader of the DPS. He became an independent member of parliament. In July 2025, a court in Sofia confirmed that Delyan Peevski was the only chairman of the DPS. This officially removed Ahmed Dogan from the party.
How the Party Has Done in Elections
The Movement for Rights and Freedoms was the first political party for the Turkish minority to take part in parliamentary elections in Bulgaria.
Early Elections
In the first elections after the end of the communist government in 1990, the party won 6% of the votes. This gave them 24 out of 400 seats in parliament, making them the fourth largest party.
In the 1991 elections, they won 7.6% of the votes and kept 24 seats, but this time in a smaller parliament of 240 seats. In 1994, their votes dropped to 5.4%, and they won 15 seats. By 1997, they were back up to 7.6% of the votes and won 19 seats.
Being Part of the Government
From 2001 to 2009, the DPS party was part of the government. First, they worked with the National Movement Simeon II party. Then, they joined a coalition with the Bulgarian Socialist Party. During these years, members of the DPS party held important positions as ministers in the government.
In the 2001 elections, they won 7.5% of the votes and 21 seats. For the first time, they joined the government. They were in charge of two ministries: the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, and another ministry without a specific area.
In the 2005 elections, their support grew to 12.8% of the votes, and they won 34 seats. They continued to be part of the government, and they were in charge of three ministries.
Moving to Opposition
In the 2009 elections, the DPS party received 14% of the votes and won 38 seats. However, a different party won a lot of votes and formed the government alone. So, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms became an opposition party, meaning they were not part of the government.
In the 2013 elections, the party's votes decreased to 11.3%, and they won 36 seats. They were still the third largest party. The DPS party won the most votes from Bulgarians living abroad, especially in Turkey.
The DPS party also won four members in the European Parliament in the 2014 elections.
National Assembly Election Results
| Election | Leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
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| 1990 | Ahmed Dogan | 491,596 | 8.03 (#3) |
23 / 400
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Opposition |
| 1991 | 418,168 | 7.6 (#3) |
24 / 240
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1 |
Support (1991-1992) | |
| Coalition (1992-1994) | ||||||
| 1994 | 283,094 | 5.44 (#4) |
15 / 240
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9 |
Opposition | |
| 1997 | 323,429 | 7.6 (#3) |
19 / 240
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4 |
Opposition | |
| 2001 | 340,395 | 7.45 (#4) |
21 / 240
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2 |
Coalition | |
| 2005 | 467,400 | 12.81 (#3) |
34 / 240
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13 |
Coalition | |
| 2009 | 610,521 | 14.45 (#3) |
38 / 240
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4 |
Opposition | |
| 2013 | Lyutvi Mestan | 400,466 | 11.31 (#3) |
36 / 240
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2 |
Coalition |
| 2014 | 487,134 | 14.84 (#3) |
38 / 240
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2 |
Opposition | |
| 2017 | Mustafa Karadayi | 315,976 | 8.99 (#4) |
26 / 240
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12 |
Opposition |
| Apr 2021 | 336,306 | 10.51 (#4) |
30 / 240
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4 |
Snap election | |
| Jul 2021 | 292,514 | 10.71 (#5) |
29 / 240
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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
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2 |
Snap election | |
| 2023 | 347,700 | 13.18 (#4) |
36 / 240
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Support | |
| Jun 2024 | Delyan Peevski Dzhevdet Chakarov |
366,310 | 16.56 (#2) |
47 / 240
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Snap election |
| Oct 2024 | Delyan Peevski | 281,356 | 11.17 (#4) |
30 / 240
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Opposition (Jan-Mar 2025) |
| Support (since Mar 2025) |
European Parliament Election Results
| Election | List leader | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Filiz Husmenova | 392,650 | 20.26 (#3) |
4 / 18
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New | ALDE |
| 2009 | 364,197 | 14.14 (#3) |
3 / 18
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1 |
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| 2014 | 386,725 | 17.27 (#3) |
4 / 17
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1 |
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| 2019 | Mustafa Karadayi | 323,510 | 16.55 (#3) |
3 / 17
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1 |
RE |
| 2024 | Dzhevdet Chakarov | 295,092 | 14.66 (#2) |
3 / 17
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Images for kids
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Percentage of votes for MRF by electoral districts in the 2014 parliamentary elections
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Map showing performance of MRF at the 2015 Bulgarian local elections.
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
