The president is elected for a five-year term and is restricted to two terms, even if they are non-consecutive. After an individual has served two terms as president, that individual would forever be barred from being elected to the presidency again under Bulgaria's Constitution.[3] The president addresses the nation on national television annually on New Year's Eve.[4]
Election
Eligibility for election
For a Bulgarian citizen to be able to run for the office of President of Bulgaria, they must fulfil the following conditions:[3]
Must be a Bulgarian citizen by birth
Must be at least 40 years old
Must have lived in Bulgaria for the five years prior to the candidacy
Must fulfil all conditions that would be required for election as a representative to Bulgaria's National Assembly
Electoral system
The president is elected directly by the Bulgarian people in a two-round election for a five-year term. If a candidate obtains at least 50% of the vote with at least 50% voter turnout, that candidate is elected. If this isn't the case, the top two candidates face off in a runoff election.[a][3]
Restrictions
The president is barred from being a member of the National Assembly, as well as holding any other government, public or private offices for the duration of their term. The president is also constitutionally forbidden from being involved in a leadership position of a political party while in office.[3] The president is however allowed to be a member of a political party.
Powers and privileges
The president of Bulgaria has a number of functions and powers that are regulated in Chapter 4 of the 1991 Constitution of Bulgaria.
Presidential powers
The following powers belong to the president of Bulgaria:[3]
The president enjoys blanket legal immunity during his or her tenure and is not held responsible for any act performed while on duty, with the exception of treason or violation of the Bulgarian constitution. His or her authority may only be stripped via impeachment and may not be removed by any other institution. The president cannot be detained and may not be prosecuted.[3]
The president is assisted in their duties by the vice president of Bulgaria. The vice president replaces the president in case of absence. Upon the death, resignation or removal from office of the president, the vice president assumes the presidential office until the end of the term. The Constitution permits the president to delegate to the vice president certain powers, notably: to appoint and dismiss certain officials, issue pardons and amnesty, provide citizenship and refugee status. The VP enjoys the same privileges of immunity as the president and can only be dismissed from his office under the same procedure.[3]
Termination of office
According to the constitution, the mandate of the president is completed if and when:[3]
The presidential term expires
The president resigns before the Constitutional Court
The president is permanently unable to perform his/her duties due to serious illness
Impeachment can begin if the president has committed treason or has violated the Constitution of Bulgaria, after at least a quarter of the members of the National Assembly deposit an accusatory act before the assembly. The act must be approved by a 2/3 supermajority of MPs in order to be accepted. If accepted, the case is referred to the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria, which must decide within a one-month time period whether the president is guilty or innocent of the crime they have been accused of by the Assembly. If the constitutional court finds that the president has committed treason or violated the constitution, the president is impeached and is stripped of their authority.[3]
↑Since 2016 a "None of the above" option has been introduced, however these votes are excluded from the final results.
↑Revocation of citizenship can only be done to citizens who acquired their citizenship through the process of naturalization and not to native-born Bulgarians.
It can only be applied after the citizen in question has been convicted of a serious crime and even then cannot be performed if the revocation would cause the person to enter into statelessness (i.e. has no other citizenship).
↑In practice this power is very weak, as after a veto the bill is sent back to the assembly for another vote, in which the veto can be overruled by a simple majority. If the veto is overruled, the President is constitutionally obliged to sign the bill into law.
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