България и коронованата демокрация в Европа
Bulgaria and the Crowned Democracy in Europe

Summary/Abstract: Both Bulgarian and foreign scholars are still confused about this country’s Constitution of 1879, usually defined as one of the most democratic constitutions in Europe at the time, and about the character of Ferdinand I.s reign, frequently referred to as .Ferdinand’s personal regime.. As a matter of fact, though, Bulgaria was the first constitutional and parliamentary monarchy in Europe to introduce universal male suffrage. True enough, the German Reichstag was also elected by all adult male citizens but unlike, Bulgaria, the executive in Germany was not accountable to the legislature. Similarly to the other constitutional and parliamentary monarchies no act of the Bulgarian ruler had legal force unless countersigned by the ministers. Until World War I Bulgaria was among the European countries with the highest percentage of people, entitled to vote. From 1887 to 1918 the opposition succeeded in winning the parliamentary elections twice, while there were seven changes of the ruling parties or coalitions. It should be noted in this regard that Belgium, for instance, was governed by the Clericals during the whole period from 1880 to 1940. Bulgaria’s crowned democracy seems to be a remarkable achievement, even if compared to Europe as a whole.

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