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handle is hein.crs/govegfd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated October 6, 2021 Bulgaria: An Overview Bulgaria is a Southeastern Europeancountry located along the Black Sea. Afterdecades ofsingle-party communist rule and a turbulent transition period during the 1990s, Bulg aria joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union (EU) in 2007. The United States cooperates with Bulgaria on a range of security is sues but also has raised concerns over corruption and the rule oflaw. Bulgaria has been in apoliticalstalemate for most of2021. Parliamentary elections in April2021 and repeat elections in July 2021 did not result in the formation of a government.A third parliamentary electionis scheduled for November 14, 2021, along with presidential elections. Domestic Oveirview Bulgaria has a parliamentary systemof democratic governance. The unicameral NationalAssembly (Narodno sabranie) has 240 seats. Acting Prime Minister Stefan Yanev has presided over two caretaker governments since May 2021. President Rumen Radev is seeking reelectionto a second termin the November 2021 presidential election. For most of the period from2009 to early 2021, Bulgaria was led by Prime Minister Boyko Borisov andhis center- right Citizens for European Development of Bulg aria (GERB). During this time, corruption remained a significant challenge despite Bulgaria's EU accession in 2007. A wave of anti-corruption protests in 2020 weakened the Borisov government andhelped erode support for other former governing parties, including the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), GERB's traditionalrival. Support for GERB and BSP weakened in the April2021 parliamentary elections and the repeatelections in July 2021. Severalnew politicalgroupings, buoyed by the 2020 protests, won a combined one-third of votes in the April elections and over 40% in the July elections (see Figure 1). Their campaigns largely centered on corruption issues. Some of the parties pledged not to participate in any government with GERB, BSP, or the Movement for Rights and Freedom(DPS), a former governing party that is predominantly supported by ethnic Turkish voters. Thus far, the most successfulof the new parties has been the populist There Is Such a People (ITN) party, which placed second in the April2021 elections and narrowly vwn the repeat elections in July. Democratic Bulgaria (DB) and Stand Up, Mafia Out (ISMV), two blocs comprising parties involved in the 2020 protests, also gained support acioss the two election cycles. ITN's unconventional political actions following its July 2021 victory contributed to a seeming rift with DB and ISMV, however. Bulgaria is scheduled to hold presidential and repeat parliamentary elections on November 14, 2021. Polls conducted in fall 2021 indicate continuing fragmentation in voter preferences. GERB leads in most recent polls, while support forITNappears tohave declined.Anewgrouping formed in September2021, We Continue the Change (PP), is polling second in some surveys. PP is led by two ministers fromthe first Yanev caretaker government, which gained popularity for its investigations of graft allegations. Among other impacts, the prolonged political stalemate has impeded policymaking and delayed Bulgaria's finalization of a draft plan for its share ofthe EU's E750 billion post- pandemic recovery and resilience fund. Figure 1. 202 I Parliamentary Elections %of vote (# seats) 240 seats total a ITN U GERB BSP H DB = DPS ISMV All other April 2021 Results July 2021 Results Source: Graphic created byCRS using Central Electoral Commission data. Corruption and Ru.eof-Law Con cerns Corruption, organized crime, and rule-of-law challenges intensified during Bulgaria's turbulenttransition in the 1990s. Due to oncern that these is sues had not been resolved when Bulgariajoinedthe EUin 2007, Brussels continues to monitor the country's reforms through a transitional Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). Although the CVM has guided some reforms, many analysts question the EU's overall effectiveness in promoting the rule oflaw in Bulgaria. Some also assert that EU development funds have indirectly enabled corruption. Although observers note some improvements in Bulgaria's anti-corruption framework, the core challenges have pers is ted across s uccessive governments. For s everal years, Bulgariahas ranked last among EUmember states in Transparency International's annual Corruption Perceptons Index. The U.S. State Department's 2021 Investment Climate Statement for Bulg aria describes high-level corruption, particularly in public procurement and use of EU funds as a serious concern. To date, no senior officials have been convicted of corruption. Alleged political interference in the judiciary and a weak media environment may complicate efforts to combat corruption. On June 2, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury s anctioned three Bulgarian individuals for involvement in n~i H~se~rch S~rvsc~

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