National Movement for Stability and Progress

The National Movement for Stability and Progress (Bulgarian: Национално движение за стабилност и възход (НДСВ) or Nacionalno dviženie za stabilnost i văzhod, NDSV), until 3 June 2007 known as the National Movement Simeon II (the acronym in Bulgarian is the same - НДСВ), is a liberal,[1][2] populist political party in Bulgaria, created as a personal vehicle of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Simeon II), the deposed Tsar and former Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

National Movement for Stability and Progress

Национално движение за стабилност и възход
LeaderStanimir Ilchev, Sabi D. Sabev, Olimpi Katev
FounderSimeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
FoundedApril 2001
HeadquartersSofia
IdeologyLiberalism[1][2]
Conservative liberalism[3]
Populism[4][5][6]
Political positionCentre[7] to centre-right
European affiliationAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
International affiliationLiberal International
ColoursYellow
National Assembly:
0 / 240
European Parliament:
0 / 17
Website
www.ndsv.bg

History

NDSV was founded in April 2001, only 11 weeks ahead of a parliamentary election, after former Tsar Simeon II had announced his intention to become involved in the political life of Bulgaria. He promised to attract foreign investors, reduce taxes and uproot corruption within the first 800 days of his premiership. The movement met with immediate enthusiasm and won 42.7% of the popular vote and 120 out of 240 seats in the 2001 elections. One seat short of an absolute majority, it formed a grand coalition with the conservative Union of Democratic Forces, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and the ethnic minority party Movement for Rights and Freedoms with Simeon Sakskoburggotski (his official name in Bulgarian since the end of monarchy) becoming Prime Minister. NDSV's popularity decreased markedly when Simeon failed to fulfill his promises within the specified time.[8] However, it was during Simeon's term that Bulgaria entered NATO and prepared the economic and political stability that was prerequisite for the country becoming a member of the European Union in 2007. The NDSV party became a full member of the Liberal International at its Sofia Congress in May 2005.

At the 2005 parliamentary election, NDSV's share of votes dropped to 19.9% and its number of seats in parliament dropped to 53. It did, however, remain in office as the junior partner in a coalition led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party. NDSV member Meglena Kuneva served as Bulgarian EU Commissioner charged with consumer protection in the First Barroso Commission from Bulgaria's entry to the EU in 2007 until 2010. The party changed its name in June 2007, removing the name of the founder and leader and replacing it with "Stability and Progress", but retaining its Bulgarian acronym NDSV. At the European parliamentary election of June 2009 the party gained 7.96 per cent of the votes and took two out of the seventeen seats. However, a month later the party got just 3.01% of votes in the July 2009 parliamentary elections, falling short of the 4% election threshold for representation. The next day, on 6 July, Simeon resigned as NDSV leader.[9] In July 2012 Meglena Kuneva left the party to establish the Bulgaria for Citizens Movement. In the 2013 parliamentary election, the NDSV did not field any candidates. In the 2014 election, it won just 0.24% of the votes while the party decided not to run in the 2017 election.[10]

Electoral performance

Bulgarian National Assembly
Year Number of votes Percentage of votes Number of seats Position after the election
2001
1,952,513
42.74%
120 / 240
Leading a government coalition with DPS (Sakskoburggotski Government)
2005
725,314
19.9%
53 / 240
Junior partner in a BSP-led government coalition (Stanishev Government)
2009
127,470
3.0%
0 / 240
Extra-parliamentary
2013
Did not run
0 / 240
Extra-parliamentary
2014
7,917
0.24%
0 / 240
Extra-parliamentary
2017
Did not run
0 / 240
Extra-parliamentary

European Parliament
Year Number of votes Percentage of votes Number of seats
2007
121,398
6.27%
1 / 18
2009
205,146
7.96%
2 / 17
2 / 18
(post-Lisbon)
2014
20,487
(KOD coalition)
0.92%
(KOD coalition)
0 / 17
2019
21,315
1.09%
0 / 17

See also

References
  1. Elisabeth Bakke (2010), "Central and East European party systems since 1989", in Sabrina P. Ramet (ed.), Central and Southeast European Politics since 1989, Cambridge University Press, pp. 78–79, ISBN 978-1-139-48750-4
  2. Alfio Cerami (2006). Social Policy in Central and Eastern Europe: The Emergence of a New European Welfare Regime. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 26. ISBN 978-3-8258-9699-7.
  3. Caroline Close (2019). "The liberal family ideology: Distinct, but diverse". In Emilie van Haute; Caroline Close (eds.). Liberal Parties in Europe. Taylor & Francis. p. 344. ISBN 978-1-351-24549-4.
  4. Smilov, Daniel (2013). Bulgaria: Perception and Reality. Dangerous Liaisons. The Brookings Institution. p. 186.
  5. Smilov, Daniel; Jileva, Elena (2009). The politics of Bulgarian citizenship: National identity, democracy and other uses. Citizenship Policies in the New Europe (2nd ed.). Amsterdam University Press. p. 226.
  6. Crampton, R.J. (2007). Bulgaria. The Oxford History of Modern Europe. Oxford University Press. p. 414.
  7. Chary, Frederick B. (2011), The History of Bulgaria, Greenwood, p. 173
  8. Thompson, Wayne C., ed. (2013). "Bulgaria". The World Today Series: Nordic, Central, and Southeastern Europe (13th ed.). Stryker-Post. p. 549.
  9. "Симеон Сакскобургготски подаде оставка" (in Bulgarian). Труд. 2009-07-06. Archived from the original on 2009-07-08. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  10. "НДСВ не участва в пресрочните избори за Народно събание на 26.03.2017" (in Bulgarian). Труд. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
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