Once Zhivkov fell, a loose political confederation was envisioned where constituent groups could continue to work for their own cause, while the coordinating council would include three members from each organization.

The Longtime dissident philosopher Zhelyu Zhelev, who would later become Bulgaria's president, was elected chairman, and Petar Beron, a well-known environmental scientist, was chosen as secretary.

[14][15] The SDS lost the 1990 elections to the Bulgarian Socialist Party but still participated in the joint cabinet of Dimitar Iliev Popov.

The socialists, together with the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, formed a coalition government headed by Prof. Lyuben Berov.

However, following discontent over economic problems, Prime Minister Zhan Videnov resigned at the end of 1996, clearing the way for new elections, this time won by the SDS with a crushing 55% vote.

Party leader Ivan Kostov went on to form the new government and successfully passed several economic reforms.

But public discontent over the social cost of the reforms, including increased unemployment, as well as allegations of corruption led to the SDS's defeat in the June 2001 elections, which were won by the National Movement for Simeon II.

In the May 2013 elections, the SDS ran alone and lost all of its seats in the Bulgarian National Assembly, but regained four next year as a part of the Reformist Bloc alliance.