Georgi Parvanov

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Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov
Георги Седефчов Първанов
Georgi Parvanov

Incumbent
Assumed office 
22 January 2002
Prime Minister Simeon Sakskoburggotski
Sergey Stanishev
Vice President Angel Marin
Preceded by Petar Stoyanov

Born 28 June 1957 (1957-06-28) (age 50)
Sirishtnik
Political party BSP
Spouse Zorka Parvanova

Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov (Bulgarian: Георги Седефчов Първанов) (born 28 June 1957) has been president of Bulgaria since 22 January 2002. Parvanov became president after defeating his predecessor, Petar Stoyanov, in the second round of the November 2001 presidential election. He retained his position following the elections in 2006.

On July 19, 2007 the Commission on Communistic State Security Files announced that documents prove that Georgi Parvanov, President of Bulgaria, was a secret agent of the communistic State Security Services under the name "agent Gotse". Two documents reveal that the secret agent Gotse agreed to serve "with desire and promptness". These documents are proudly published on the Bulgarian President website by the President himself. There is no law in Bulgaria banning former secret agents from occupying high state positions as it is in Germany, Czech republic, Slovakia and Poland. Bulgaria is the only EC country whose head of state is a former communistic agent. During his years of office, Georgi Parvanov appointed a lot of advisers and ambassadors who were announced on 19 July 2007 to be proven secret agents of the communistic pro-Soviet state security services. These are : 1.the present ambassador of Bulgaria to NATO Lubomir Ivanov 2.the present ambassador of Bulgaria to Greece Andrey Kаraslavov (secret name Chavdar) 3.The present ambassador of Bulgaria to Switzerland Atanas Pavlov (secret name Assenov) 4. the present ambassador of Bulgaria to Hague Zlatin Trupkov 5.the present ambassador of Bulgaria to Oslo Nikola Karadimov 6. the present ambassador of Bulgaria to Serbia Georgi Dimitrov 7. the present ambassador of Bulgaria to Spain Ivan Hristov 8. the former ambassador of Bulgaria to Brussels Emil Valev. (http://www1.parliament.bg/kns/komissia%20dossieta/Rechenre-14-04-09-07.html). Most recently Georgi Parvanov appointed Petko Sertov, another former communistic agent, as head of the newly formed FBI of Bulgaria. On 18 January 2008 Georgi Parvanov, without informing EU authorities, signed the South Stream gas project with Russia which is rivalling to Nabucco project of the European Union.

Parvanov declares that is in favour of Bulgarian membership of NATO and the European Union. He identifies as a socialist but left the Bulgarian Socialist Party after he had been elected president, as the president is not allowed to be a political party member.

On election, his programme was to be a 'social' president, with care towards poor, unemployed and disadvantaged people. Parvanov helped in the creation of a three-party government coalition on 16 August 2005.

Contents

[edit] Early years

Georgi Parvanov was born in the village of Sirishtnik, Pernik Province on June 28, 1957. He grew in the nearby village Kosacha. In 1975 he finished a secondary school in Pernik and in 1981 he finished history at the Sofia University, speciality "History of Bulgarian Communistic Party". In 1988 he defended a doctorate thesis in history with the title "Dimitar Blagoev and the Bulgarian national question 1879-1917".

[edit] Professional career

  • Joined the Institute of History of the Bulgarian Communist Party as researcher: 1981
Main interest: the Bulgarian national issue and the early history of social democracy in Bulgaria

[edit] Political career

  • Member of the Bulgarian Communist Party since 1981 (renamed to Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP in 1990)
  • Deputy Chairman of the BSP Supreme Council: 1994
  • Chairman of the BSP Supreme Council: 1996
  • Re-elected Chairman of the BSP Supreme Council: 2000
  • Member of Parliament: 1994–2001
  • Chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Friendship with Greece and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Radio and Television: 1994–1997
  • Chairman of the Parliamentary Group of the Democratic Left and the Parliamentary Group of Coalition for Bulgaria: 1997–2001
  • Elected President of the Republic of Bulgaria: November 2001. Took office: 22 January 2002.
  • Ran for re-election in 2006. Won the first round with 65 per cent of the vote on October 22. As turnout was less than 50%, he faced ultranationalist Volen Siderov at the runoff on October 29. Parvanov won with more than 75 per cent of the vote.

[edit] Publications

Dozens of scientific articles, monographs and books, including:

  • Dimitar Blagoev and the Bulgarian National Problem 1879–1917, (1988),
  • From Bouzloudja to the Corona Theatre. An Attempt at a New Reading of Pages from the BSP's Social Democratic Period, (1995),
  • The Bulgarian Social Democracy and the Macedonian Issue at the End of the 19th century up to 1918, (1997)
  • Before and after the 10th, (2001).

[edit] Collaboration with Committee for State Security

In 2006 Parvanov admitted that before 1989 there was a file on him at the former Communist Security Service (Darzhavna Sigurnost, or DS) under the nickname Gotse (to the revolutionary Gotse Delchev). The file, which, like most files of the Security Service, hasn't been released to the public, does not prove beyond reasonable doubt that he has actually been an agent at the DS, and those who have had access to it disagree as to what it contains. According to Parvanov's own statement, the file only shows that he had been consulted as a historian in conjunction with the writing of a memoir book about events from one hundred years ago and especially the Macedonian Question.[1] That was confirmed by two members of parliamentary commissions that had examined the files of the Security Service earlier — Bogomil Bonev and Veselin Angelov.[1] Two other members, Metodi Andreev and Evgeni Dimitrov, accused the first two of lying and asserted that the historical research had only been a prelude, followed by Parvanov's consent to work as an agent and write a report about his institute.[2]

A year later, on 19 July 2007, a special Commission for Opening the Files determined officially that the President Georgi Parvanov was listed as a secret police collaborator of the former Communist Security Service from 1989 till 1993.[3] He was recruited a month before Bulgaria's communist regime collapsed. It also became obvious that a large part of his secret file was missing.

[edit] 2006 Elections

In the first round of the elections, incumbent Parvanov came first with 64.047%[4] ahead of ultranationalist leader Volen Siderov with 21.486%,[4] whom he had to face in a runoff, as Bulgarian law requires a turnout of at least 50% for a president to be elected in the first round. The voter turnout in the first round was 42.51%.[5]

The second round saw a decisive Parvanov victory of around 75.9% as opposed to Siderov's 24.1%, meaning that Parvanov became the first person to be democratically reelected as President of Bulgaria.[6] The turnout was 41.11%.[7]

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ a b mediapool.bg : Parvanov admitted about Gotse. mediapool.bg (Bulgarian). Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
  2. ^ Parvanov should resign. www.sedembg.com (Bulgarian). Retrieved on 2008-04-23.
  3. ^ Parvanov 'listed as collaborator' (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
  4. ^ a b Elections 2006: Final results for the country according to the Central Electoral Commission for the President and Vice President Elections (Bulgarian). Izbori2006.org. Retrieved on 2006-10-24.
  5. ^ Elections 2006: Voter turnout for the country as of 7 pm (Bulgarian). Izbori2006.org.
  6. ^ Zhelyu Zhelev, although having served two terms, was elected as a president not by popular vote, but by the National Assembly for his first term.
  7. ^ 41,11 % е окончателната избирателна активност в страната към 19 часа (Bulgarian). Focus News (2006-10-29). Retrieved on 2006-10-29.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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Political offices
Preceded by
Petar Stoyanov
President of Bulgaria
2002present
Incumbent


Persondata
NAME Parvanov, Georgi Sedefchov
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Георги Седефчов Първанов (Bulgarian)
SHORT DESCRIPTION president of Bulgaria
DATE OF BIRTH 28 June 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Sirishtnik, Bulgaria
DATE OF DEATH living
PLACE OF DEATH