It was in 1990 that the Communist Party relinquished its monopoly in Bulgaria, changing its name to the Bulgarian Socialist Party and going on to win the free elections that followed. A new constitution for the country was adopted in July 1991, a time at which there were also mass strikes, rising prices and increasing unemployment. There followed a series of further general elections in 1991, 1992, 1994, and 1997, with a coalition group and the socialist party vying for influence. The country is now a multi-party democracy, though power remains highly centralised. One of the poorest countries in Europe, Bulgaria has moved slowly towards a market economy. GDP per capita in 1997 was US$1227, compared to the CEE average of US$2967; in the same year unemployment was 13.7%.
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