Democratic Alliance (Bulgaria)

The Democratic Alliance (Демократически сговор) was a Bulgarian political party that existed between 1923 and the banning of political parties in 1934. During most of that period it was the ruling party in the country, making it the third longest-ruling party in the country after the Bulgarian Communist Party and the People's Liberal Party.

History
After the 9 June coup d'état in 1923 its organizers from the Military Union and the People's Alliance tried to create a new party in order to ensure stable political and parliamentary basis for the new government. For that purpose they relied on the member parties of the Constitutional Bloc whose leaders were imprisoned by the government of Aleksandar Stamboliyski.

After the dissolution of the Constitutional Bloc in the end of July and the beginning of August, the Democratic, the Radical Democratic and the United People's Progressive Party created a coalition Union for Democracy. On 10 August it united with the People's Alliance and formed the Democratic Alliance. In the next few months grew the discontent within the Democratic and the Radical Democratic parties caused by the centralization of the organization and its conversion into a single party and in the beginning of 1924 many of their members left the Alliance and reestablished the two parties.

During its whole existence there were three distinct groups. One of them, led by Aleksandar Tsankov was connected with the formed People's Alliance, while the other two, headed by Andrey Lyapchev and Atanas Burov were linked to the traditional parties - the Democratic and the United People's Progressive parties. Those fractions were often in open conflict between one another which threatened the stability of the government several times.

After the loss of the 1931 elections those contradictions became stronger and in the spring of 1932 the fraction of Aleksandar Tsankov left the party. After the ban of the political parties following the 19 May coup d'état in 1934 the Democratic Alliance ceased to exist although some of its leaders remained politically active.

Participation in the government

 * Second government of Aleksandar Tsankov (22 September 1923 — 4 January 1926) - in coalition with the Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party
 * First government of Andrey Lyapchev (4 January 1926 — 12 September 1928) - alone
 * First government of Andrey Lyapchev (12 September 1928 — 15 May 1930) - alone
 * First government of Andrey Lyapchev (15 May 1930 — 29 June 1931) - in coalition with the National Liberal Party

Leaders

 * 1923-1926: Aleksandar Tsankov
 * 1926-1933: Andrey Lyapchev