UntitledPolitical Context
With European Union accession set for January 1, 2007, Bulgaria has made an impressive transition from communism to democracy. Civic organizations have begun to advocate for citizen interests, election processes have become largely democratic, and parliament and other governing institutions are acquitting their roles responsibly.
To complete its democratic transition, Bulgaria’s political institutions need to be more fully representative of citizens. This is particularly true for marginalized constituencies such as women and ethnic minorities. This need was evident in the June 2005 parliamentary elections, in which mainstream political parties ceded important ground to a new political party, Ataka, whose nationalist/populist platform garnered eight percent of the vote, suggesting that a significant portion of the electorate is not benefiting from Bulgaria’s political and economic progress. Voters also face a fragmented political system with a number of right wing parties that have been unable to unite around shared policy priorities and leadership. President George Parvanov won a second mandate in 2006 presidential elections, holding off an Atka challenger.
Members of parliament meet with a farmer in eastern Bulgaria to discuss his views on agricultural policies.
NDI in Bulgaria
Since 1990, NDI has supported Bulgarian institutions by helping political parties increase their public outreach, promoting the political participation of women and minorities, developing the constituency outreach skills of members of parliament (MPs), and supporting civic groups as they conduct advocacy initiatives and engage citizens in the electoral process through Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) initiatives. NDI programs in Bulgaria have been funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
Increasing Women's Political Participation
In 2005, as part of NDI’s global Win with Women Initiative, NDI began a NED-funded program to increase women's political participation. With NDI assistance, political parties have made significant strides in increasing the role of women within the party. The Bulgarian Socialist Party and St. George’s Day (Gergiovden) created official national women’s structures within their respective parties. The Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria created a regional women’s chapter and is in the process of creating a national chapter, as is the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. Prior to the parliamentary elections, NDI enhanced women politicians' skills through candidate schools and policy briefings on such topics as agricultural reform, tourism development, and national security. On election day, nine of the 50 candidates trained by NDI were elected to parliament for the first time. Two were selected as Bulgarian observers to the European parliament.
MPs Snezhana Grozdilova (left) and Marusya Lyubcheva (right) discuss the importance of cooperation between the parliament and government on the development of gender equality legislation at an NDI event for women members of parliament from Southeastern Europe.
Since the elections, NDI has provided governance training for newly elected female members of parliament and conducted study trips to The Netherlands and Macedonia for MPs to learn how to strengthen their constituency outreach and governance skills. NDI is also working to foster cooperation among non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and MPs on pending legislation and issues of shared concern. When the World Conference of Women Parliamentarians held its bi-annual event in Sofia in June 2006, NDI brought women MPs and civil society leaders together from southeastern Europe to discuss the promotion of legislation that positively affects women. Relationships built at this and other NDI events resulted in cooperation between Bulgarian MPs and women’s NGOs on gender equality legislation and state funding for NGOs representing marginalized constituencies.
“Fora of this kind [NDI’s luncheon for women MPs from Southeastern Europe] are vital to developing effective regional cooperation. We are representatives of neighboring countries which have in the past often shared common experiences and continue to do so.”
—Snezhana Grozdilova, Member of Parliament
Bringing Government Closer to Its Citizens
From 1998 through 2004, NDI supported members of parliament and parliamentary caucuses in using public opinion research to develop constituent outreach plans and forge connections with civil society actors such as women’s groups. NDI conducted a series of surveys and focus groups on public attitudes toward educational and constitutional reform and on the role of NGOs in public affairs, sharing research findings with political parties, elected officials, and civic organizations. The research prompted collaboration among MPs and NGOs at both local and national levels. Parties used the research findings, as well as information gathered through NDI-organized town hall meetings, to craft legislation. Some of these bills were passed in parliament, such as legislation mandating that the government produce an annual report on youth issues.
Enhancing Voter Participation
Voter turnout in elections has been on the decline since 1997. To encourage voter participation, NDI has supported nonpartisan voter education and GOTV campaigns on a nationwide and local basis since 2001. In the 2005 parliamentary elections, NDI conducted the USAID-funded I am Young and Vote campaign, which brought together a coalition of seven NGO networks and four media outlets to increase youth voter turnout. The coalition conducted a nationwide media campaign, grassroots door-to-door outreach, voter simulations, and candidate meetings in 20 cities, engaging more than 50,000 18-25 year olds. Youth turnout on election day was more than 57 percent—higher than the national average. For the 2006 presidential elections, more than 20 NGOs organized the “I Care” GOTV campaign without international assistance, thus sustaining nationwide, nonpartisan voter education and outreach. Still, youth political disaffection and economic limitations, prompting high emigration numbers, remain salient issues.
Contact Information
NDI also conducts programs in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia. For more information on NDI's Bulgaria program, please contact:
In Washington DC:
Megan Volk Unangst
202-728-5670 Send Email
In Sofia:
Sevdalina Voynova
359-2-980-7760 Send Email
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