Reload Bulgaria
Презареди България
LeaderNikolay Barekov
Founded25 January 2014 as Bulgaria Without Censorship
Preceded byBulgaria Without Censorship
HeadquartersCherni Vrah Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria
IdeologyRight-wing populism[1]
National conservatism
Bulgarian nationalism[2]
Anti-corruption[1]
Euroscepticism
Political positionCentre-right (self-declared)[3]
European affiliationAlliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (until 2019)
European Parliament groupEuropean Conservatives and Reformists[4]
ColoursWhite, Green, Red
National Assembly
0 / 240
European Parliament
0 / 17
[5]
Website
prezaredibg.com

Reload Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Презареди България, romanized: Prezaredi Balgariya; formerly Bulgaria Uncensored, Bulgarian: България без цензура) is a populist political party in Bulgaria.[6]

History

The party was founded by former TV host Nikolay Barekov in January 2014. It ran for the first time in the May 2014 European Parliament election,[7] taking one seat in the European Parliament as part of a coalition with VMRO and joined the soft eurosceptic group of European Conservatives and Reformists.[4]

The BWC-VMRO coalition did not last, however, and VMRO left to team up with other nationalist parties for the parliamentary elections of October 2014.[8] On 18 August 2014, BWC sealed a coalition agreement with LIDER to run in the upcoming elections.[9]

The party made contradicting comments on the form of government. In June 2014, Barekov declared his support for the restoration of the Bulgarian Monarchy and Simeon II as Tsar of Bulgaria.[10] He vowed that should his party win a general election, he would introduce referendums on a number of issues, including the restoration of the monarchy.[10] On other occasions he called for a people's republic.[2]

Despite holding 15 seats in the Assembly, Reload Bulgaria chose not to compete in the 2017 parliamentary elections after being initially refused a name change, among other reasons.[11]

Election results

National Assembly

Election Votes % Seats Rank
2014 186,938 5.69%
15 / 240
 6th

European Parliament

Election Votes % Seats Rank
2014 238,629 10.66%
2 / 17
 4th
2019 3,907 0.19%
0 / 17
 18th

References

  1. ^ a b Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Bulgaria". Parties and Elections in Europe.
  2. ^ a b "Letzte Hoffnung EU". Die Zeit. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Bulgaria Uncensored is a center-right political party".
  4. ^ a b "Бареков и Джамбазки отиват при консерваторите в ЕП". bnews.bg. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Европейски парламент :: Европейски парламент 2019". results.cik.bg. 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2019-06-03.
  6. ^ "A controversial newcomer could be kingmaker". The Economist. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  7. ^ Kotseva, Antonia. "Dimitar Avramov, Expert: BSP Picked Wrong Political Opponent". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Two Bulgarian Nationalist Parties Team Up for Early Elections". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  9. ^ "Bulgaria without Censorship Strikes Alliance with Lider Party". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  10. ^ a b "'Bulgaria without Censorship' Leader Backs Reinstatement of Monarchy". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  11. ^ "Reload Bulgaria Party Not to Participate in March 26 Elections". bta.bg. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
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