headquarters_location union of free democrats
Parliamentary elections were held in ___MASK71___ on June 25 , 2005 , for the 240 members of the National Assembly . According to exit polls , the Socialists had a lead with around 31 %, but without a majority , necessitating the creation of a coalition . The National Movement for Simeon II , in power before the election , was in second place , with around 21 %. Following the election , Socialist Party leader Sergei Stanishev became Prime Minister . ___MASK71___ ( tr . '), officially the Republic of ___MASK71___ ( tr . '), is a country in southeastern Europe . It is bordered by ___MASK13___ to the north , Serbia and Macedonia to the west , ___MASK39___ and Turkey to the south , and the Black Sea to the east . With a territory of , ___MASK71___ is Europe ' s 16th - largest country . The Black Sea is a body of water between Eastern ___MASK79___ and Western ___MASK74___ , bounded by Bulgaria , Georgia , Romania , Russia , Turkey , and Ukraine . It is supplied by a number of major rivers , such as the Danube , Dnieper , Rioni , Southern Bug , and Dniester . The Black Sea has an area of ( not including the Sea of Azov ), a maximum depth of , and a volume of . It is constrained by the Pontic Mountains to the south and by the Caucasus Mountains to the east , and features a wide shelf to the northwest . The longest east - west extent is about . Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a sovereign state situated at the crossroads of ___MASK12___ and Southeast Europe , covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the ___MASK12___ Balkans . Relative to its small territory , it is a diverse country distinguished by a " transitional " character , situated along cultural , geographic , climatic and other boundaries . Serbia is landlocked and borders Hungary to the north ; Romania and Bulgaria to the east ; Macedonia to the south ; and ___MASK40___ , Bosnia - Herzegovina , and Montenegro to the southwest ; it also claims a border with Albania through the disputed territory of ___MASK76___ . Serbia numbers around 7 million residents , and its capital , Belgrade , ranks among the largest cities in Southeast Europe . ___MASK25___ , officially the Republic of ___MASK25___ ( Turkish : ), is a transcontinental country in Eurasia , mainly in Anatolia in Western ___MASK74___ , with a smaller portion on the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe . ___MASK25___ is a democratic , secular , unitary , parliamentary republic with a diverse cultural heritage . ___MASK25___ is bordered by eight countries : Greece to the west ; Bulgaria to the northwest ; Georgia to the northeast ; Armenia , the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan and Iran to the east ; and ___MASK46___ and Syria to the south . The Aegean Sea is to the west , the Black Sea to the north , and the Mediterranean Sea to the south . The Bosphorus , the Sea of Marmara , and the Dardanelles , which together form the Turkish Straits , divide Thrace and Anatolia ; they also separate Europe and ___MASK74___ . ___MASK25___ ' s location has given it geopolitical and strategic importance throughout history . Sergei Dmitrievich Stanishev ( ___MASK38___ May 5 , 1966 ) is a Bulgarian politician who was the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party ( BSP ) from 2001 until 2014 . He is the President of the Party of European Socialists , the second - largest party in the European Parliament since 2011 . He was Prime Minister of ___MASK71___ from 2005 to 2009 . The Union of Free Democrats ( Bulgarian :     , Sajuz na svobodnite demokrati ) is a conservative political party in ___MASK71___ , led by Stefan Sofiyanski . It contested the 2001 elections as part of the United Democratic Forces electoral ___MASK91___ , which picked up 51 of 240 seats . It is nowadays part of the Bulgarian People ' s Union , that at the Bulgarian parliamentary election , 2005 won 5 . 7 % of the popular vote and 13 out of 240 seats . The United Democratic Forces (  / ODS ) were a center - right electoral ___MASK91___ in Bulgaria , led by the Union of Democratic Forces . ___MASK45___ ( or or ;) (" Sofiya ",) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria . The city has a population of 1 . 26 million , while 1 . 68 million people live in its metropolitan area . The city is located at the foot of Vitosha Mountain in the western part of the country , within less than drive from the Serbian border . Its location in the centre of the Balkan peninsula means that it is the midway between the Black Sea and the Adriatic Sea , whereas the Aegean Sea is the closest to it . ___MASK39___ (' ), officially the Hellenic Republic ( Greek : ' ), historically also known as Hellas ("" ), is a country in southeastern Europe . ___MASK39___ ' s population is approximately 10 . 955 million as of 2015 . ___MASK56___ is the nation ' s capital and largest city , followed by Thessaloniki . The Bulgarian People ' s Union (" Balgarski Naroden Sajuz ") was an electoral ___MASK91___ ( center - right ) in Bulgaria . It contested only one legislative election : that on 25 June 2005 . It won 5 . 7 % of the popular vote and 13 out of 240 seats . The Union was composed by the Bulgarian Agrarian People ' s Union - People ' s Union (" Blgarski Zemedelski Naroden Sajuz - Naroden Sajuz "), the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Bulgarian National Movement (" Vatrešna Makedonska Revolucionna Organizacija - Blgarsko Nacionalno Dviženie ") and the Union of Free Democrats (" Sajuz na svobodnite demokrati "). ___MASK13___ is a sovereign state located in Southeastern Europe . It borders the Black Sea , Bulgaria , ___MASK82___ , Hungary , Serbia , and ___MASK9___ . It has an area of and a temperate - continental climate . With 19 . 94 million inhabitants , the country is the seventh - most - populous member state of the European Union . The capital and largest city , Bucharest , with its 1 , 883 , 425 inhabitants is the sixth - largest city in the EU . Stefan Antonov Sofiyanski ( ___MASK38___ November 7 , 1951 in ___MASK45___ ) has been a leading member of the Union of Democratic Forces in Bulgaria . He served as interim Prime Minister in 1997 and was a three - term Mayor of ___MASK45___ .