Freedom House: Bulgaria among the Most Democratic Countries in the World

Freedom House, an American organization dedicated to supporting and defending democracy around the world, publishes its annual report on the state of democracy and civil liberties in countries around the world for 2019.  

In it Bulgaria receives 80 out of 100 possible points and is classified as Free (from possible - Free, Partially Free and Not Free). Our country maintains the same points (80) of the 2018 report.

In terms of political rights, our country receives 34 points, with the highest score of 40 points for countries such as Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Japan .. and the lowest - for countries like Yemen with 1 point, Venezuela - 2, and there are countries such as Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and North Korea, with… 0 points. For 2018 Bulgaria was 33 points in this criterion.

In the column: Civil Liberties, Bulgaria receives 46 out of a maximum of 60 points. Finland, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden are at the top. Countries like Syria, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea are at the lowest positions in terms of freedom for their citizens. In the 2018 report, our country has 47 points in the civil liberties column.

As for Bulgaria, Freedom House makes the following characteristic and gives the following assessment: 

"Multiple parties compete in Bulgaria's democratic system, and there have been several transfers of power between rival parties in recent decades. The country continues to struggle with political corruption and organized crime. While the media sector remains pluralistic, ownership concentration is a growing problem. Journalists encounter threats or violence in the course of their work. Ethnic minorities, particularly Roma, face discrimination. Despite funding shortages and other obstacles, civil society groups...