Bulgaria. The Movement for Rights and Freedom

Bulgaria lies on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, and, like its neighbors, the nation experienced dramatic political upheaval during the late 1980's. In late 1989, human-rights activists and environmentalists challenged the dominance of Bulgaria's Communist Party in the largest demonstrations since the end of World War II (1939-1945).

Once part of the Roman Empire, Bulgaria, map far right, became a kingdom in 681 . The country was ruled by the Byzantines between 1018 and 1186. Bulgaria then kept its independence until 1396, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

Only a few days later, Todor Zhivkov, who had been head of state and leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party for the previous 27 years, was removed from office. Further demonstrations calling for democratic reforms and free elections were held in the capital city of Sofia.

Bathed in light, the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral towers above the buildings of Sofia, Bulgaria's capital and largest city. The cathedral was built in the late 1800's to celebrate Bulgaria's liberation from Turkish rule.

In the elections of June 1990, many of the Communist Party's former representatives, now under the banner of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, were again brought to power. In August, the National Assembly elected Zhelyu Zhelev, a member of the Union of Democratic Forces—a coalition of 16 opposition parties—as president. But most of the political power remained in the hands of former Communists who claimed to have changed their views.

In the National Assembly elections of October 1991, the Union of Democratic Forces gained a slight lead over the Bulgarian Socialist Party. The Movement for Rights and Freedom, a coalition representing Bulgaria's Muslim Turks, won about 7 per cent of the votes.

In December 1994, the Bulgarian Socialist Party won an absolute majority of 124 seats in the parliament. Bulgaria's economy showed little improvement. Unemployment stood at 16 per cent, wages dropped, and the cost of living increased.

The Communists gained con.plete control of Bulgaria between 1944 and 1947. The Communists changed Bulgaria from an agricultural country to an industrialized country.

This policy brought the nation some capital and international credit, but conditions for the working people remained poor. Wages were low, and food, housing, and consumer goods were in short supply. Today, Bulgaria is still a developing country.

About 85 per cent of the people are of Bulgarian ancestry, descended from Slavs and Bulgars. Bulgarian, the country's official language, is related to Russian and other Slavic languages and written in the Cyrillic alphabet.

Turks make up Bulgaria's largest ethnic minority and represent about 1 per cent of the population. Because Bulgaria suffered as part of the Ottoman Empire from the 1300's to the end of the 1800's, many Bulgarians resent the Turks.

In 1984 and 1985, the government tried to force the Turks to adopt Bulgarian names, and banned the use of the Turkish language in public. Some who ignored these new rules were killed by Bulgarian troops. In 1989, about 344,000 Turkish-speaking Bulgarians sought refuge in Turkey, but nearly one-third of them returned to Bulgaria after a few months. In 1990, the Bulgarian government ended its anti-Turkish program, but some ethnic disturbances continued.