The decision to create a State Council was made at a meeting of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1968.
Members were elected to the first State Council on 8 July 1971,[1] after the new constitution was approved via a national referendum held in May 1971.
[2] The State Council consists of the following: The position of chairman was synonymous with the General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party.
[2] The Constitution vested the State Council with the power to issue decrees in lieu of law whenever the National Assembly was not in session.
As chairman of the council for nearly all of its existence, Todor Zhivkov served as Supreme Commander in Chief of the Bulgarian People's Army.