GERB

Conservative political party in Bulgaria

GERB (Bulgarian: ГЕРБ, lit. 'coat of arms'), an acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria[1] (Bulgarian: Граждани за европейско развитие на България), is a conservative populist[4][5] political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria between 2009–2013 and 2016–2021.[a]

History

GERB is headed by former Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov, the former mayor of Sofia, former member of the National Movement Simeon II and former personal guard of Todor Zhivkov in the 1990s. The establishment of the party followed the creation of a non-profit organization with the acronym (in Bulgarian) GERB — Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria, earlier the same year.

In early January 2007,[11] and early February 2007,[12] the party came second in public polls on party support with around 14%, trailing the Bulgarian Socialist Party which had around 25%. Its stated priorities are fighting crime and corruption, preserving family as the cornerstone of society and achieving energy independence.

GERB won the 2009 European Parliament election in Bulgaria with 24.36% of the vote. The party elected five MEPs and joined the European People's Party-European Democrats Group in the European Parliament (in the EPP section). On June 6, 2007, GERB applied formally to join as a member-party the European People's Party[13] and joined EPP on February 7, 2008.[14]

GERB won the 2009 parliamentary elections, held a month after the European ballot, winning 39.7% of the popular vote and 116 seats (out of 240). After the elections, a new government was formed, led by Borisov, primarily with GERB members and with 5 independent ministers around Deputy Prime Minister Simeon Djankov. The reformist wing was responsible for some of the most significant legislative victories, including a Constitutional reform to ban tax increases. GERB's candidates for the 2011 presidential election, Rosen Plevneliev and Margarita Popova (presidential nominee and running mate, respectively), won the elections on the second ballot with 52.6% of the popular vote.

On 20 February 2013, the government resigned after nationwide protests demanding it to step down.[15] GERB lost the 2013 parliamentary elections with 84 seats, receiving 27.5% of the popular vote. However, due to the collapse of the coalition government in 2016 due to a new, even bigger wave of mass protests, GERB backed into power after the snap elections.

In 2020 GERB suffered a split, as a sizable number of members and local party organizations left alongside former second-in-command Tsvetan Tsvetanov to form the Republicans for Bulgaria party.[16] The whole second half of 2020 saw mass protests against the GERB government, but nevertheless, Borisov did not resign.

In the April 2021 parliamentary election GERB was first with 26.18% of the vote. In the July 2021 snap election, former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov's GERB-led coalition was the second with 23.51 percent of the vote.[17] The next snap election was in November same year, Kiril Petkov's coalition emerged as surprise victors over the conservative GERB party, which dominated Bulgarian politics in the last decade. GERB has been in opposition since December 2021[18] until June 2022 - the fall of Petkov's government.

List of chairmen

No. Name
Portrait Term of office
1 Tsvetan Tsvetanov

(1965–)

3 December 2006 10 January 2010
2 Boyko Borisov

(1959–)

10 January 2010 Incumbent

Parliamentary leaders

No. Name
Portrait National Assembly
1 Krasimir Velchev

(1951–)

41st
2 Boyko Borisov

(1959–)

42nd
3 Tsvetan Tsvetanov

(1965–)

43rd
4 Daniela Daritkova

(1966–)

44th
5 Desislava Atanasova

(1978–)

45th
46th
47th
48th
49th
6 Boyko Borisov

(1959–)

49th

Electoral history

National Assembly

Election Votes % Seats +/– Status
2009 1,678,583 39.72 (#1)
116 / 240
Minority
2013 1,081,605 30.55 (#1)
97 / 240
Decrease 19 Opposition
2014 1,072,491 32.67 (#1)
84 / 240
Decrease 13 Coalition
2017 1,147,283 32.65 (#1)
95 / 240
Increase 11 Coalition
Apr 2021[b] 837,707 25.80 (#1)
73 / 240
Decrease 22 Snap election
Jul 2021[b] 642,165 23.21 (#2)
60 / 240
Decrease 13 Snap election
Nov 2021[b] 596,456 22.44 (#2)
57 / 240
Decrease 3 Opposition
2022[b] 634,627 24.48 (#1)
64 / 240
Increase 7 Snap election
2023[b] 669,924 25.39 (#1)
67 / 240
Increase 3 Coalition

Presidential

Election Candidate First round Second round
Votes % Rank Votes % Result
2011 Rosen Plevneliev 1,349,380 40.1 1st 1,698,136 52.6 Won
2016 Tsetska Tsacheva 840,635 22.0 2nd 1,256,485 36.2 Lost
2021 Anastas Gerdzhikov 610,862 22.8 2nd 733,791 31.8 Lost

European Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/–
2007 420,001 21.68 (#1)
5 / 18
2009 627,693 24.36 (#1)
5 / 18
Steady
2014 680,838 30.40 (#1)
6 / 17
Increase 1
2019[b] 607,194 30.13 (#1)
5 / 17
Decrease 1
  1. ^ With breaks between March 2013 and April 2016 and January 2017 to May 2017
  2. ^ a b c d e f In coalition with SDS.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "European Election Watch Bulgaria". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  2. ^ "БСП и ГЕРБ вече почти равни по брой членове" [BSP and GERB now almost even in membership]. 24 Chasa. August 6, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  3. ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Bulgaria". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  4. ^ a b Barzachka, Nina (April 25, 2017). "Bulgaria's government will include far-right nationalist parties for the first time". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Hope, Kerin; Troev, Theodor (June 10, 2009). "Populist promises to clean up Bulgaria". Financial Times. Retrieved December 19, 2011.(registration required)
  6. ^ Novaković, Igor (2010). ""European" and "Extreme" Populists in the Same Row – the New Government of the Republic of Bulgaria" (PDF). Western Balkans Security Observer (17). ISAC Fund: 63–73. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  7. ^ Cristova, Christiana (2010). "Populism: the Bulgarian case" (PDF). Sociedade e Cultura. 13 (2). Goiânia: 221–232. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
  8. ^ Routledge Handbook of European Elections edited by Donatella M. Viola, page 639
  9. ^ Smilov, Daniel; Jileva, Elena (2009), "The politics of Bulgarian citizenship: National identity, democracy and other uses", Citizenship Policies in the New Europe, Amsterdam University Press, p. 229
  10. ^ Jansen, Thomas; Van Hecke, Steven (2012), At Europe's Service: The Origins and Evolution of the European People's Party, Springer, p. 78
  11. ^ "Socialists Lead GERB in Bulgarian Politics: Angus Reid Global Monitor". Angus Reid Public Opinion. Vision Critical. Archived from the original on July 8, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  12. ^ "Socialists Gain, GERB Second in Bulgaria: Angus Reid Global Monitor". Angus Reid Public Opinion. Vision Critical. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  13. ^ "Лидерът на ПП ГЕРБ е на двудневно посещение в Брюксел". ГЕРБ (in Bulgarian). June 6, 2007. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  14. ^ "Bulgaria's GERB joins European People's Party". SEtimes.com. February 8, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  15. ^ New York Times, The (February 20, 2013). "After Bulgarian Protests, Prime Minister Resigns". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
  16. ^ Capital.bg (September 24, 2020). "Заплаха ли е за ГЕРБ новата партия на Цветанов". www.capital.bg (in Bulgarian). Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  17. ^ "Final Results In Bulgarian Vote Confirm Win For Anti-Elite Party". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. July 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "Kiril Petkov chosen by Bulgarian parliament as next prime minister". euronews. December 13, 2021.

External links

  • Official website (in English)
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