Bulgaria's floating Center-Right

1990-protests "The time is ours"

First "democratic" party.-SDS

   After the fall of the communist regime, Bulgaria experienced it's first free elections in more than 45 years. The two main pretenders to form the first democratic government of Bulgaria where the center-left BSP and the center-right SDS, being head-to-head in the 1991 lagislative elections.

   Bulgaria entered a period of "typical western democracy", with one big party on the Left and one big party of the Right, yet non of them managed to establish themselves as a united force to lead the democratisation process. 

   BSP quickly succumbed to separatism, leading to underperforming results in coming elections, especially after the highly controversial Žan Videnov-government (1994-1997).

   Yet SDS didn't manage to abuse the situation and established themselves as the sole "super-party". They experienced the same separatist problem as BSP, but because they where a much younger structure, the separatism processes could had easily destroyed the party from the inside out. For the 1994 elections SDS, seeing that they wont be able to keep their structure a-whole, formed an electoral alliance, known as ODS (United Democratic Forces). ODS performed fairly well until the faithful 2001-elections. 

   Ever since ODS/SDS' fatal defeat in 2001, they had become a second-class party". Loosing all representation in parliament in 2017.

   SDS is a faithful member of the European EPP ever since 1996.

Simeon Sakskoburggotski, prime-minister 2001-2005

Rise of the minister-king

   Simeon Borisov von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha-Koháry, or simply know as Simeon Sakskoburggotski, is the curent inheritor of the bulgarian crown, from his father Boris III. Simeon served as tsar for a period of 3 years, after which he was exiled to Egypt in 1946. He later went to live in Spain in 1952, where he resided together with his family until 1996.

   Sakskoburggotski was issued a new Bulgarian passport in 1990, during the waining days of the communist regime, yet he didnt return in his homeland until 1996. At first he had no political ambitions, but with growing dissatisfaction with the polarized system that BSP and SDS forged, Sakskoburggotski made his move. He established NDSV (National Movement "Simeon II", later renamed to National Movement for Stability and Progress) in early 2001.

   The new populist party quickly destroyed the status-quo, winning 42% of the vote in 2001 and 120/240 deputies. What followed was especially interesting. The only time in history where a previously monarchical head of state became a prime-minister of his own country. Non the less the Sakskoburggortski government (NDSV+DPS) was accepted with open arms by the public. The tsar himself famously promising "I'll fix the country in 800 days". 

   NDSV branded itself as a center-right party, but from everything shown by the party, it became clear that it was a diferent kind of a right-party. A more centrist, not so ideologically centered, where compromises with centrist and leftist were made in order to keep the reforms coming. 

   Undeniably he bigest achievement of the Sakskoburggotski government was Bulgaria's succession into NATO in 2004, but this didn't help the quickly declining glory of the new populist government. By the elections of 2005 NDSV had falled by more than half of its previous results, winning only 18% of the vote and becoming a junior partner in the Stanišev government (BSP+NDSV+DPS). What followed was further decline for NDSV, after which in 2009, the party fell out of parliament winning only 3%. NDSV still lingers with some local representation and until 2014 with european as well.

   In 2005 NDSV pushed for membership in the European EPP, but they were blocked by SDS, forcing them to opt for membership in the liberal ALDE.

Borisov's speech after the 2009 elections

   After the fall of Bulgaria's center-right in disarray, a void was left that in 2006 was filled up by the new conservative party GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria). GERB made its electoral debut in the local elections of 2006, where together with winning many municipalities, they won Sofia, replacing the previous SDS mayor. 

   GERB rode the populist wave, depicting themselves as conservative, nationalist and european. After the unsatisfactory results from the Stanišev government (2005-2009), GERB united the disunited right of Bulgaria and in 2009 gave BSP their largest electoral defeat until than. Winning 39% and 116/240 depities. Officially forming the first Borisov government, Bulgaria's first minority government.

   GERB's electoral platform was solely build on two pillars: economic and infrastructural development. Promising higher wages, keeping the flat tax at 8% and enlarging Bulgaria's 1st class road system. Non the less the first Borisov government was highly controversial with many corruption scandals and alleged electoral fraud, something we see with each of Borisov's following governments. 

   Borisov I managed to survive for almost all of his 4-year mandate, but due to electoral deadlock in parliament, early elections where called in 2013. This saw GERB drop by almost 10 points, to 30%, officialy making it impossible to form a new government. 

   What followed was the highly controversial and disliked Orešarski government (BSP+DPS+Ataka), which survived for a bit more than an year. After massive nation-wide protests early elections were called for 2014, where GERB managed to swing from 30% to 32% of the vote, officially winning a second mandate. The Borisov II government was probably the most "colorful" of all post communist governments. GERB formed a government with the liberal-conservative RB, with confidence and supply agreements from the national-conservative PF and the center-left ABV.

    Obviously with such a colorful coalition, and with yet another minority government, controlling only 107/240 seats, early elections where once again on the table. In 2015 ABV withdraw their confidence from the Borisov government, that was followed by more bad news for Borisov. In 2016, GERB's minor partner-RB, fell under seriously internal struggles. Half of the small partners in the coalition left RB, leaving the government with even less seats, granting it immobile to govern. After early elections were called for 2017, after the Borisov II survived for a bit more than 2 years.

   The 2017 elections brought even greater success for GERB, pushing their numbers to almost 34% of the vote. What followed was the Borisov III government, forming a ruling coalition with the national-conservstive OP (PF's successor) with a confidence and supply agreement from the far right Volya as well.

   This new coalition gave Borisov more breathing space, and his first majority government, controlling 132/240 seats. Yet that space became tighter and tighter.

   After OP almost fell apart in 2019, and after the especially destabilizing 2020-protests, which almost forced Borisov's resignation, GERB's position became more and more dire.

    Yet even after all of that it seems that the Borisov III government would manage to finish it's full mandate, being a first one in Borisov's political career. With parliamentary elections being just 2 months away and with still very high levels of dissatisfaction with Borisov and GERB, a future Borisov IV government may not be a possibility.