Constitution of Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
The Constitution of Bulgaria is the supreme and basic law of the Republic of Bulgaria. The current constitution was adopted on 12 July 1991 by the 7th Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria
, and defines the country as a unitary
parliamentary
republic
. It has been amended four times (in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007) and is chronologically the fourth constitution of Bulgaria, the first being the Tarnovo Constitution
of 1879.
Besides the current democratic constitution of 1991 and the initial monarchist Tarnovo Constitution
, other Bulgarian constitutions were the Dimitrov Constitution
(named after Georgi Dimitrov
), in force between 1947 and 1971, and the Zhivkov Constitution
(named after Todor Zhivkov
), in force between 1971 and 1991. Both were socialist
in character.
National Assembly of Bulgaria
The National Assembly of Bulgaria is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of the Republic of Bulgaria.The National Assembly of Bulgaria was established in 1879 with the Constitution of Bulgaria.-Ordinary National Assembly:...
, and defines the country as a unitary
Unitary state
A unitary state is a state governed as one single unit in which the central government is supreme and any administrative divisions exercise only powers that their central government chooses to delegate...
parliamentary
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
. It has been amended four times (in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007) and is chronologically the fourth constitution of Bulgaria, the first being the Tarnovo Constitution
Tarnovo Constitution
The Tarnovo Constitution was the first constitution of Bulgaria. It was adopted on 16 April 1879 by the Constituent National Assembly held in Veliko Tarnovo as part of the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria...
of 1879.
Besides the current democratic constitution of 1991 and the initial monarchist Tarnovo Constitution
Tarnovo Constitution
The Tarnovo Constitution was the first constitution of Bulgaria. It was adopted on 16 April 1879 by the Constituent National Assembly held in Veliko Tarnovo as part of the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria...
, other Bulgarian constitutions were the Dimitrov Constitution
Dimitrov Constitution
The Dimitrov Constitution was the Constitution of Bulgaria in effect from 1947 to 1971. Georgi Dimitrov, after whom the document is named, guided the framing of the 1947 constitution on the model of the 1936 constitution of the Soviet Union...
(named after Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov
Georgi Dimitrov Mikhaylov , also known as Georgi Mikhaylovich Dimitrov , was a Bulgarian Communist politician...
), in force between 1947 and 1971, and the Zhivkov Constitution
Zhivkov Constitution
The Zhikov Constitution was the Constitution of Bulgaria in effect from May 18, 1971 to 1991.In 1968 the Prague Spring outbreak of heretical socialism in Czechoslovakia caused the Bulgarian Communist Party to tighten control over all social organizations, calling for democratic centrism and...
(named after Todor Zhivkov
Todor Zhivkov
Todor Khristov Zhivkov was a communist politician and leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from March 4, 1954 until November 10, 1989....
), in force between 1971 and 1991. Both were socialist
Socialist state
A socialist state generally refers to any state constitutionally dedicated to the construction of a socialist society. It is closely related to the political strategy of "state socialism", a set of ideologies and policies that believe a socialist economy can be established through government...
in character.
See also
- ConstitutionConstitutionA constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
- Constitutional economicsConstitutional economicsConstitutional economics is a research program in economics and constitutionalism that has been described as extending beyond the definition of 'the economic analysis of constitutional law' in explaining the choice "of alternative sets of legal-institutional-constitutional rules that constrain the...
- Rule according to higher lawRule according to higher lawThe rule according to a higher law means that no written law may be enforced by the government unless it conforms with certain unwritten, universal principles of fairness, morality, and justice...
- RechtsstaatRechtsstaatRechtsstaat is a concept in continental European legal thinking, originally borrowed from German jurisprudence, which can be translated as "legal state", "state of law", "state of justice", or "state of rights"...