On November 10, 1989, a plenum of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party ousted its General Secretary and Chairman of the State Council, Todor Zhivkov. This marked the symbolic beginning of the transition from a one-party system to democracy and a market economy. The democratically elected President Zhelyu Zhelev (1990–1997) described the removal of the communist dictator from power as a "coup."

The first major rally, organized by the Confederation of Labor "Podkrepa" and "Ecoglasnost," took place on November 18, 1989, in the square in front of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. A month later, the opposition political formation Union of Democratic Forces was established. According to historians, the beginning of the transition should be considered January 19, 1990, when Article 1 of the Constitution, which granted the Bulgarian Communist Party a leading role, was abrogated.

In 2000, the National Assembly adopted a law declaring the communist regime criminal.

• Monuments to the totalitarian past stand, but few memorials honour the victims

  
  

• Dr. Petar Beron speaks about the first steps of the Bulgarian transition and democracy today