Bulgarian Left

The Bulgarian Left (Bulgarian: Българската левица, Bǎlgarskata levitsa, BL) is a democratic socialist political party in Bulgaria. It was created in February 2009 predominantly by members of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), with its constituent congress taking place on 4 April 2009.^[1] Its leaders are Hristofor Dochev, Ivan Genov, and Margarita Mileva.^[2]

Bulgarian Left Българската левица Bǎlgarskata levitsa
Abbreviation	BL
Leader	Hristofor Dochev Ivan Genov Margarita Mileva
Founded	19 February 2009 (2009-02-19)
Headquarters	Sofia
Membership (2012)	6,000
Ideology	Democratic socialism
Political position	Left-wing
National affiliation	Bulgarian Left Coalition [bg] (2009) Citizens of Protest (Apr 2021) BSP for Bulgaria (Jun–Nov 2021) Solidary Bulgaria (Jun 2024) My Country Bulgaria (Oct 2024)
European affiliation	Party of the European Left
Colors	Red
National Assembly	0 / 240
European Parliament	0 / 17
Website
levicata.org
Politics of Bulgaria Political parties Elections

A full member of the Party of the European Left (PEL) since September 2010,^{[nb 1]} it is one of the few parties in the country to hold progressive views in regards to LGBT rights in Bulgaria. Alongside the BSP, the Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria, and the Green Movement, the BL was one of the few parties to have supported the parade organizers' right to hold the pride parade, and the only party, alongside the Greens, to have send statements of support to the parade.^[5]

In the 2013 Bulgarian parliamentary election, the BL won 5,924 votes (0.17%) and failed to win any seats. In the 2014 Bulgarian parliamentary election, the party participated in a coalition with the Green Party of Bulgaria; together, they won 7,010 votes (0.21%). This coalition continued during 2017 Bulgarian parliamentary election, in which they won 2,876 votes (0.08%).

In the run up to the 2024 parliamentary and European elections, BL joined Solidary Bulgaria.^[6]

Election results

National Assembly

Election	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	Government
2009[a]	8,762	0.21 (#11)	0 / 240	New	Extra-parliamentary
2013	5,924	0.17 (#24)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
2014[b]	7,010	0.21 (#20)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
2017[c]	2,916	0.08 (#19)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
Apr 2021[d]	2,356	0.07 (#27)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
Jul 2021[e]	365,695	13.22 (#3)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
Nov 2021[e]	267,817	10.07 (#4)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
2022	Did not contest		0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
2023	Did not contest		0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
Jun 2024[f]	31,472	1.47 (#10)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary
Oct 2024[g]	2,781	0.11 (#18)	0 / 240	0	Extra-parliamentary

1. Run as part of the Bulgarian Left Coalition.
2. Run in a joint list with Green Party.
3. Run in the WHO – Bulgarian Left and Green Party coalition.
4. Run as part of the Citizens of Protest coalition.
5. Run as part of the BSP for Bulgaria coalition.
6. Run as part of the Solidary Bulgaria coalition.
7. Run as part of the My Country Bulgaria coalition (BL and OSD).

European Parliament

Election	List leader	Votes	%	Seats	+/–	EP Group
2014	Margarita Mileva	11,014	0.49 (#12)	0 / 17	New	–
2019	Did not contest			0 / 17	0
2024[a]	Vanya Grigorova	24,685	1.23 (#11)	0 / 17	0

1. Run as part of the Solidary Bulgaria coalition.

Notes

1. Approved as a full member by the Executive Board of the PEL in Luxembourg in September 2010.^[3] The decision was ratified by the PEL's third congress in December 2010.^[4]