Capital: Sofia

Major cities: Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Rousse, Stara Zagora, Blagoevgrad, Haskovo, Pleven, Pazardjik, Shumen, Lovech, Razgrad, Vratza, etc.

Administrative districts: 28 (oblasti) Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol

Languages: Bulgarian (official), Turkish (main minority)

Ethnicities: Bulgarian 83.6%, Turk 9.5%, Roma 4.6%, other 2.3% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian, Greek, Russian) (CIA 1998)

Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 83.8%, Muslim 12.1%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 2.3% (CIA 1998)

Average annual income: US $1,650 (World Bank, 2001)

Existence of a state of emergency: not available

Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; influence of Soviet legal system, accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Political system: Parliamentary democracy

Parliamentary type: Unicameral

Number of parliamentary seats: 240

Procedure for passing new laws: (Wishlist item. This might include main presidential powers, majority needed to pass bills, majority needed to amend constitution, quorum needed, no. of readings of bills required in parliament before passage, capacity of upper chamber (if any) to amend or veto bills, existence of judicial review).

Name of Parties in government: National Movement Simeon II (NMS2); United Democratic Forces (UDF); Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP); Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF)

Name of President: Georgi Purvanov (since 22 January 2002)

Main Political Parties: NMS2, UDF, BSP, MRF, United Democratic Forces (UtdDF) alliance, People’s Union (member of the UtdDF)

Main courts: Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court; Supreme Judicial Council

Main prisons: Bobov Dol, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Varna, and Vratsa

Number of Prisons: 12

Prison population: 7,264 (1991)

Volume of crime per 100,000 inhabitants: 1,852.95 (Interpol 2002)

Number of prosecutors: 221,912 (UN 1997)

Number of judges: 1,062 (UN 1997)

Number of lawyers: not available

Number of police: not available

Number of police: Main Newspapers: Trud, 24 Chasa; Monitor; Standart (online: The Bulgarian Post; Standart; The Sofia Echo; Novinite; Mediapool; Focus)

Under the Constitution, the judiciary is granted independent and coequal status with the legislative and executive branches; however, the judiciary continued to struggle with problems including a lack of transparent and neutral standards for assigning cases; poor coordination between prosecutors, investigators, and courts; corruption; low salaries; understaffing; antiquated procedures; and a heavy backlog of cases. The European Union Accession Report on Judicial Independence that was issued during the year stated that because the Constitution provides for independence of the "judicial power," which includes judges, public prosecutors, and investigating magistrates, the separation of these powers is blurred and the independence of judges is compromised. The report also found that the Ministry of Justice continued to exercise extensive administrative powers, and that the Government influences the appointment and promotion of judges and prosecutors, and also influences the outcome of cases. Partly as a legacy of communism and partly because of the court system's structural and personnel problems, many citizens have little confidence in the judicial system. Long delays in trials were common. Human rights groups complained that local prosecutors and magistrates sometimes failed to pursue vigorously crimes committed against minorities. Many observers believe that reforms are essential to establish a fair and impartial, as well as efficient, judicial system. In 2000 the Government began an ambitious training program to upgrade the expertise of the judiciary with the help of international donor organizations, which produced limited results, according to observers.

International Agreements and Memberships: Prospective Member of European Union, Member of United Nations and most of its specialized agencies. Also member of International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).