Rule of law Bulgaria
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At a glance: Bulgaria’s elections and the rule of law

Bulgarians will vote on Sunday, 11 July for the second time this year, after the country’s political parties failed to build a governing coalition following the April elections.

This election takes place in the shadow of the spring vote and last summer’s protests, which drew on public anger at corruption and perceived weaknesses in the rule of law. In parallel, Bulgaria has consistently scored at the bottom of rule of law and press freedom indexes for the European Union in recent years.

Corruption, press freedom and the role of the prosecutor general directly influence public discourse ahead of the vote. These are issues that we examined in March, and they continue to influence the vote.

It's a tight race, with the polls showing the governing GERB party and newcomer There Are Such People neck and neck.

There's a lot to keep track of, but DRI's Jakub Jaraczewski highlights what you need to know ahead of Sunday’s vote.

We thank Bilyana Gyaurova-Wegersteder, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives, for her input.

Download the pdf version with hyperlinks below.

Democracy Reporting International (DRI) works to improve public understanding of the rule of law in the EU as part of the re:constitution programme funded by Stiftung Mercator. Sign up for DRI’s newsletter and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out more about the rule of law in Europe.

Photo credit: Ava Babili / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Documents

Bulgaria Elections and Rule of Law Overview Download

This work is supported by

Stiftung Mercator