President of Bulgaria facts for kids
Quick facts for kids President of of the Republic of Bulgaria |
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Flag of the President of the Republic
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| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Sofia (office), Boyana (residential) |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Five years, renewable once |
| Precursor | State Council (1971-1990) Chairman (President) (1990-1992) |
| Inaugural holder | Zhelyu Zhelev Modern presidency; Petar Mladenov as inaugural Chairman (President) |
| Formation | 22 January 1992 Modern presidency; 3 April 1990 as Chairman (President) |
| Deputy | Vice President |
| Salary | 11 044 leva per month |
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The President of the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Президент на Република България, romanised: Prezident na Republika Bŭlgariya) is the head of state of Bulgaria. This means they are the official leader and symbol of the country. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Army, leading the country's military. The president's main home is the Boyana Residence in Sofia. The current president, Rumen Radev, was chosen on November 13, 2016.
In Bulgaria, the president's job is mostly symbolic. They act like a referee, helping to solve disagreements between different parts of the government. The president is not the head of government, which is the prime minister. They are also not part of the country's 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 like Zhelyu Zhelev (1994-95) and Rumen Radev (2017, 2021, and since 2022) have done this. Sometimes, the president even appoints the prime minister. The president serves for five years and can be re-elected only once. After serving two terms, a person can never be president again. Every year, on New Year's Eve, the president speaks to the nation on TV.
Contents
How is the President Elected?
Who can become President?
To run for president in Bulgaria, a person must meet a few rules:
- They must be a Bulgarian citizen.
- They must be at least 40 years old.
- They must have lived in Bulgaria for the five years before running.
- They must also meet all the rules to be elected as a member of Bulgaria's National Assembly (parliament).
The Election System
The president is chosen directly by the people of Bulgaria. The election uses a two-round system. This means there might be two rounds of voting.
In the first round, if one candidate gets more than 50% of the votes, and at least 50% of people voted, that candidate wins. If no one gets more than 50% of the votes, or if fewer than 50% of 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 (Bulgaria's 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 during their time in office. Even though the rules don'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. So, a person who is elected president usually gives up their party membership.
Powers and Special Rights
The president of Bulgaria has many important jobs and powers. These are explained in Chapter 4 of the 1991 Constitution of Bulgaria. The president is chosen directly by the people for a five-year term, and they can serve 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 appoint 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 rename 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 around the world.
- They set the dates for national and local elections, following the law.
- They can stop a bill from becoming law by refusing to sign it after parliament has passed it. This is called a veto.
- They can declare war, martial law, or other state of emergency (with help from a special council).
- They can give out orders, decorations, and medals of Bulgaria (awards).
Presidential Protection
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. The only exceptions are if they commit treason or break 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 in office.
List of Presidents
| 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
1992 |
Atanas Semerdzhiev
Vacant: |
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| 2 |  |
Petur Stoyanov (1952–) |
January 22, 1997 – January 22, 2002 |
ODS | DPS | 1996 | Todor Kavaldzhiev | |
| 3 |  |
Georgi Purvanov (1957–) |
January 22, 2002 – January 22, 2012 |
BSP | DPS
DPS |
2001
2006 |
Angel Marin | |
| 4 |  |
Rosen Plevneliev (1964–) |
January 22, 2012 – January 22, 2017 |
GERB | - | 2011 | Margarita Popova | |
| 5 |  |
Rumen Radev (1963–) |
January 22, 2017 – Incumbent |
Independent | BSP DPS BSP |
2016
2021 |
Iliana Iotova | |
The Vice President
The president gets help from the vice president of Bulgaria. The vice president steps in if the president is away. If the president dies, resigns, is removed from office, or cannot do their job, 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, granting pardons, and dealing with citizenship or refugee status. The vice president has the same special protection (immunity) as the president. They can only be removed from office in the same way as the president.
When a President's Term Ends
The president's time in office ends in a few ways, according to the constitution:
- When their five-year term is finished.
- If they choose to resign (step down) before the Constitutional Court.
- If they become too sick to do their job permanently.
- If they die while in office.
- If they are impeached.
What is Impeachment?
Impeachment is a process to remove the president from office. It can only happen if the president has committed treason (betraying their country) or broken the Constitution of Bulgaria. The process starts if at least one-fourth of the members of the National Assembly 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 court finds the president guilty, then they are successfully impeached and lose their power.
Who Takes Over if the President Can't Serve?
If the president cannot do their job, here is the order of who takes over:
- 1. The Vice President of Bulgaria
- 2. The Chairman (leader) of the National Assembly
- 3. The Prime Minister of Bulgaria
Images for kids
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The Bulgarian President's Office
See also
- Government of Bulgaria
- History of Bulgaria
- Politics of Bulgaria
- Corruption in Bulgaria
- List of heads of state of Bulgaria
- List of presidents of Bulgaria (1990-present)
- List of Bulgarian monarchs
- Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- List of prime ministers of Bulgaria
