the party
Central Committee in 1968 but not established until after the
promulgation of the new constitution in 1971, the State Council was
designed to be a powerful force, both executive and legislative, in the
overall governmental structure. The best evidence to the power inherent
in the structure of the new State Council was the fact that party leader
Zhivkov chose to relinquish the premiership, which he had held for
several years, in favor of the newly created position of president of
the State Council. Zhivkov is one of a very few leaders of communist
countries who continues to retain the top position in both the party and
the government.

The State Council exercises a wide spectrum of authority that would
theoretically be the responsibility of the National Assembly. In effect
the State Council becomes the alter ego of, or a surrogate for, the
National Assembly and arrogates to itself the constitutional
prerogatives of the people and the elected legislature. Most members of
the State Council are concurrently high-ranking members of the BKP.

Among the many duties and responsibilities of the council, the most
important can be divided into two definite groups: those functions that
are specifically defined and thereby permanent and those functions that
the council assumes when the legislative body is not in session. During
wartime, when it might not be possible for the assembly to meet, the
constitution provides for the complete assumption of legislative and
executive authority by the State Council.

The State Council's specific and permanent functions include, among
others, calling the National Assembly into session, exercising the
right of legislative initiative, determining bills that should be
submitted to the people for nationwide discussion, interpreting the laws
and decrees binding on everyone, creating and eliminating departments
below ministerial level, appointing and recalling diplomatic
representatives, granting Bulgarian citizenship, ratifying international
treaties concluded by the government, and implementing the general
direction of the defense of the country.

[Illustration: _Figure 6. Bulgaria, Structure of Government, 1973_]

When the National Assembly is not in session, the State Council is
empowered to promulgate decrees and other acts of legal validity dealing
with problems arising from laws and decrees of the legislative body.
Furthermore, these acts and decrees have the force of law and nee