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Thursday, September 8, 2016

Bulgaria votes for a republic



September 8, 1946


The Bulgarian monarchy ended today when the country voted in a referendum on the "retention of the monarchy or the establishment of a people's republic," reports the New York Times.

The results in favor of a republic is a seen as a "foregone conclusion," as the Government and all opposition parties support a republic.  The first results, broadcast on Sofia radio, show "overwhelming majorities for a republic."  Rural villages showed only 5 percent for retaining the monarchy.

Bulgaria has been ruled by kings for nearly seventy years. Today was a national holiday.   Community leader Georgi Dimitrov said that Bulgaria would be a "people's republic, not a Soviet kind of republic."

The result of the election was "clear in advance," and 9-year-old King Simeon, his mother, Queen Giovanna and his older sister, Princess Marie Louise, were making preparations to go into exile.

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