Freedom in the World 1998 - Bulgaria

1998 Scores

Status: Free
Freedom Rating: 2.5
Civil Liberties: 3
Political Rights: 2

Overview

Fighting corruption and stimulating private business and foreign investment were key priorities for Prime Minister Ivan Kostov and the ruling Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) in 1998. In September, the International Monetary Fund approved an $840 million loan to support reforms and economic growth. The opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) criticized the deal, however, by claiming that it would inflict further hardship on an already disadvantaged population by necessitating higher taxes and the closing of industrial enterprises.

Bulgaria was occupied by Ottoman Turks from 1396 to 1878. It did not achieve complete independence until 1908. Communists seized power in conjunction with the "liberation" of Bulgaria by the army of the Soviet Union in 1944. From 1954 until 1989, the country was ruled by Communist Party leader Todor Zhivkov, who resigned after the fall of the Berlin Wall. With the exception of a short-lived democratic government elected in 1991, Bulgaria continued to be governed by former Communists until 1997.

Thirteen candidates competed in the 1996 presidential vote. In the first round in October, the UDF's Petar Stoyanov and running mate Todor Kavaldzhiev received 44 percent of the vote, while the BSP's Ivan Marazov and Deputy Foreign Minister Irina Bokova won 26.9 percent. In the November runoff, Stoyanov won with 59.9 percent of the vote. Immediately prior to the October presidential vote, a group of BSP leaders asked for the resignation of Prime Minister Zhan Videnov, who had been accused of implementing regressive social and economic policies. Some reformers in the BSP then threatened to split the party and support early elections. In December, Videnov resigned.

Mounting street protests and the threat of strikes in 1997 ultimately forced the BSP to agree to early elections. In the April voting, which were labeled free and fair by international observers, the UDF and its allied factions won 52 percent of the vote and 137 of 240 parliamentary seats. The BSP captured 58 seats; the ethnic Turkish-based Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), 15; the Euroleft, 14; and the Bulgarian Business Bloc, 12. UDF leader Kostov became prime minister.

In 1998, the government faced growing pressure to implement reforms and battle endemic corruption. During an official visit to Washington in February, President Stoyanov sought to increase foreign investment, which totaled only $502 million in 1997. An obstacle to investment continued to be widespread pirating of compact discs and other violations of intellectual property rights. In May, the World Bank reported that Bulgaria's track record in transition had been "very weak" and warned that, without forceful reform, Bulgaria would not be able to attract the financing necessary to maintain macroeconomic stability.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Bulgarians can change their government democratically. The 1997 parliamentary elections and 1996 presidential vote were free and fair.

In 1997, the UDF-led government pledged to pass a new media law that would minimize partisan interference in the state-owned broadcast media. Parliament amended the 1996 law to require that, of the seven members of the supervisory National Council on Radio and Television (NCRT), four would be elected by parliament and three appointed by the president. Under the previous law, all seven were named by parliament. In September 1998, the parliament made further changes, but President Stoyanov vetoed the law and sent it back to parliament. Stoyanov stated that the proposed composition of an 11-member NCRT, with seven members appointed by parliament and two each by the president and prime minister, did not guarantee the entity's political independence. He also rejected an article that stipulated that national radio and television programs should be broadcast only in the Bulgarian language and that restricted programs targeting the 800,000-strong ethnic Turkish minority. In June, the Constitutional Court ruled that three penal code articles proscribing "libel" and "insult" against state authority were not unconstitutional. Virtually all print media are privately owned. There are more than 60 private radio stations and several privately owned regional television stations. The country's economic crisis has caused hardship for the independent press. In July, a journalist in southern Bulgaria was attacked and beaten after a series of articles on the local mafia. Also in July, a regional prosecutor blocked the bank account of Sedmitza, a weekly southeastern newspaper, after the paper published articles criticizing her work.

Freedom of worship is generally respected, although the government regulates churches and religious institutions through the Directorate of Religious Beliefs. A 1994 law on registration led to 39 associations, most of which were Protestant, losing their status as "juridical entities," thereby barring them from re-registration.

The constitution provides for the right to peaceful assembly. Permits are required for demonstrations and outdoor rallies, but are routinely granted.

Approximately 200 political parties and associations are registered. The constitution prohibits the formation of political parties along religious, ethnic, or racial lines. Nevertheless, the overwhelmingly ethnic-Turkish MRF operates freely and is represented in parliament.

Bulgaria has two large labor union confederations, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, a successor to the Communist-era union, and Podkrepa, an independent federation founded in 1989. The smaller Promyana Trade Union Association was formed by the UDF in 1996. In February 1998, hundreds of miners held a ten-day hunger strike to protest the restructuring of the state-run Gorubso lead and zinc mining complex. In November, the miners struck again after management failed to raise their wages as had been promised eight months earlier.

Under the constitution, the judiciary is guaranteed independence and equal status with the legislature and executive branch. Corruption, inadequate staffing, low salaries, and lack of experienced personnel continue to hamper the system. Police frequently mistreat prisoners and detainees, according to domestic and international monitoring groups.

Free movement within the country and emigration rights are generally respected. Private property is formally protected and, in general, private property rights are respected in practice and enforced by the judiciary.

High rates of corruption, widespread organized crime, and continued government control of significant sectors of the economy impede competition and equality of opportunity.

Women are well-represented in administrative and managerial positions and in higher education.