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1. Main concepts

2. Institutions of representative democracy

Main concepts

Youth participation encompasses the active engagement of young people in various aspects of social life, decision- and policy-making processes. 

The The Youth Act (Закон за младежта) [effective from 2012, last amendment - 2022] provides for some concepts in relation to yout participation. It defines “youth activies” as organised activities or initiatives which aim to represent, support and promote the needs and interests of young people. “Youth organisation” is a voluntary association of persons for the implementation of youth activities, which meets the following requirements: (i) not less than 70 percent of the persons in it are aged between 15 and 29 years, both inclusive; (ii) more than half of the members of the governing body are young people aged 18 to 29 years, both inclusive.

As a form participation, the Youth Act sets out a definition of “youth volunteering”, which refers activities for public benefit carried out, free of pay, by young people in the Republic of Bulgaria or in another country, as part of programs and initiatives with social, youth, or sports agendas or other agendas intended to benefit society.

With regard to consultation mechanisms, while implementing the national youth policy, the Minister of Youth and Sports is supported by a Public Council on Youth Affairs (Обществен съвет по въпросите за младежта). The Public Council on Youth Affairs is a formal supportive structure that discusses, make proposals and provide opinions on draft statutory instruments of the Minister of Youth and Sports, on draft strategic and programing documents, and proposes specific initiatives in the field of policies targeted at young people. It supports the interaction of the Ministry of Youth and Sports with civil organisations in the development and implementation of youth policies. The Public Council on Youth Affairs comprise representatives of youth organizations and organizations working with and for young people.

Institutions of representative democracy 

Bulgaria is a uniform parliamentary republic with local self-governance and with distinct distribution of powers: legislative, executive, and judicial. The country is ruled by virtue of the supreme law – the Constitution adopted in 1991, and the laws of the country, and the political life is based on the principle of political pluralism. Voting is not compulsory.

Government institutions representing democracy

• President of the Republic of Bulgaria (Президент на Република България). The President is the head of State who embodies the unity of the nation and represents the Republic of Bulgaria in the international relations. The presidential activity is supported by the Vice President. The President is elected directly by the nation for a term of 5 years with the right to be reelected once. The President is the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the Chairperson of the Consultative Council on National Security.
• National Assembly (Народно събрание). The Bulgarian single-chamber Parliament, called National Assembly, exercises the legislative power in the country and parliamentary control. The National Assembly consists of 240 Members of Parliament elected for a term of 4 years. The vote is for lists of candidates from parties or coalitions for each of the 31 multi-mandate election regions. Only political parties with at least 4% of the votes can be presented in the National Assembly. The National Assembly is responsible for the adoption of laws, approval of the government budget, definition of taxes and their amount, setting of presidential elections, election and recall of the Prime Minister and the other members of the Council of Ministers, declaration of war, disposition of troops outside Bulgaria, and ratification of international treaties and agreements.
• Council of Ministers (Министерски съвет). The Council of Ministers is the main body of the executive power of the Republic of Bulgaria. It is composed of a Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Ministers and members – line ministers. The Council of Ministers leads and implements the national and foreign policy of the country, ensures the public order and national security, manages the state administration via the ministries, agencies and commissions established by it.

Local self-governance and administration

The structured administrative and territorial division facilitates effective governance, regional development, and the efficient allocation of resources across the country. From a historical point of view, the division has undergone multiple changes. Currently, Bulgaria has a two-level administrative division – regions and municipalities. Since 1999, the country has been divided into 28 regions and 265 municipalities.

Each region functions as an administrative district with a designated center. It is governed by a regional governor appointed by the Council of Ministers. 

Municipalities serve as the fundamental units of local self-government, managing local affairs and services. The mayors of municipalities and the municipal councils are the local self-government bodies within the municipalities and are elected by the population of the respective municipality for a term of 4 years.