Elections 2009 - Parties

UDF (Union of Democratic Forces)

History
The Union of Democratic Forces was founded in December 1989 as a formation of eleven dissident political organizations in opposition to the government of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

In 1990, six more parties joined, and a loose political confederation was planned. Dissident philosopher Zhelyu Zhelev, who would later become Bulgaria's President, was elected chairman.

In July 1990, the UDF lost the elections for Bulgaria's VII Grand National Assembly remaining second to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (the renamed Communist Party) with 36% of the votes, and 144 seats in the 400-seat Grand National Assembly.

In October 1991, the UDF won the Parliamentary Elections by a narrow margin - 34,36% (1 904 000 votes) compared to 33,14% (1 836 000 votes) for the BSP, and got 110 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament.

In November 1991, the UDF formed a government of its own led by Prime Minister Filip Dimitrov but this was a cabinet of the minority which lasted for 13 months, and then lost a no confidence vote at the end of 1992. This allowed the setting up of a formally technocrat government supported by the Socialists and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

In December 1994, the UDF came in second in the Parliamentary Elections with 24,23% (1 260 000 votes), and got 69 MPs. The Socialists went on to form a government headed by Zhan Videnov. Videnov's government, however, brought the country to an unprecedented economic and banking crisis.

The UDF led the fierce mass street protests that eventually led to the governments resignation in January 1997.

In February 1997 the Union of Democratic Forces turned into a single unified party led by Ivan Kostov.

In April 1997, the UDF (as part of a wider coalition - United Democratic Forces - won overwhelmingly with 52,26% (2 224 000 votes), and got 137 MPs, and formed a government led by Ivan Kostov, which stabilized the economic situation, and decisively sought accession to the EU and NATO. Kostov's Cabinet carried out long-delayed economic reforms and privatization of state-owned enterprises.

In March 1998, the UDF became a member of the European People's Party.

In December 1999 Bulgaria received an invitation to begin accession talks with the EU.

In June 2001, however, the UDF lost the Parliamentary Elections to the former Tsar Saxe-Coburg's party; it got 18,18% (830 000 votes), and 51 MPs.

In 2004, following internal disagreements, Kostov and a group of his supporters left the UDF in 2004 to found a new party, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB).

In June 2005, the UDF remained fifth in the Parliamentary Elections receiving 7,7% (280 000 votes) and 21 MPs. After Bulgaria's former President (1997-2002) failed to revitalize the party, (the UDF got no MEPs in Bulgaria's first European Parliament Elections) in 2007, the UDF elected a new leader, businessman Plamen Yurukov.

Yurukov eventually resigned at the end of 2008, and MP Martin Dimitrov was elected the new Chair. Rumors that Dimitrov was close to former leader Ivan Kostov and his party DSB, however, led to internal dissent. Yet, in the spring of 2009, the UDF and DSB formed the so-called Blue Coalition together with three junior partners - an agrarian, a social democrat and a radical democrat party.

Ideology/Social Base

The UDF is a right-wing and pro-western party, which promotes the western values freedom, rule of law, civil society, entrepreneurship, minority protection. The UDF shares practically all of its ideological tenets with Kostov's DSB. The UDF and DSB continue to engage in anti-socialist and anti-communist rhetoric. Both are of the Christian-Democratic/Conservative type.

As part of the Blue Coalition, both parties have promised to cope with the economic crisis, restore Bulgaria's access to EU money, destroy political corruption, achieve energy security, and large-scale improvements in transport infrastructure, education, and health care.

The Blue Coalition supports Turkey's membership in the EU only on the condition that Turkey meets all of the Copenhagen Criteria, and stops interfering in Bulgaria's domestic affairs.

The social base of both the UDF and DSB is supposed to be the middle class, business owners, urban professionals.

Electoral Performance

In July 1990, the UDF lost the elections for Bulgaria's VII Grand National Assembly remaining second to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (the renamed Communist Party) with 36% of the votes, and 144 seats in the 400-seat Grand National Assembly.

In October 1991, the UDF won the Parliamentary Elections by a narrow margin - 34,36% (1 904 000 votes) compared to 33,14% (1 836 000 votes) for the BSP, and got 110 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament.

In December 1994, the UDF came in second in the Parliamentary Elections with 24,23% (1 260 000 votes), and got 69 MPs.

In April 1997, the UDF (as part of a wider coalition - United Democratic Forces - won overwhelmingly with 52,26% (2 224 000 votes), and got 137 MPs.

In June 2001, however, the UDF lost the Parliamentary Elections to the former Tsar Saxe-Coburg's party; it got 18,18% (830 000 votes), and 51 MPs.

In June 2005, the UDF remained fifth in the Parliamentary Elections receiving 7,7% (280 000 votes) and 21 MPs.

In May 2007, the UDF failed to get any MEPs elected to the European Parliament.

International Political Affiliation

The UDF is a member of the European People's Party since 1998.





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