Stefan Sofiyanski

Stefan Antonov Sofijanski ( Bulgarian Стефан Антонов Софиянски; born November 7, 1951 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian politician, former longtime mayor of Sofia and former Prime Minister.

Study and career

Sofijanski holds a degree in Statistics at the Karl Marx Institute of Economics in Sofia, where he graduated with graduation.

Subsequently, he worked during the reign of the Bulgarian Communist Party from 1973 to 1975 as an employee at the Ministry of Communication and Information. After that, he was from 1975 to 1991 research assistant at the National Center for the creation and development of a system for the United Public Relations.

Political career

Minister and Mayor of Sofia

Sofijanski began his political career in 1990 after the collapse of the communist government of Todor Zhivkov in 1990 as a member of the newly formed anti-communist Union of Democratic Forces ( Sajus na Demokratitschnite Sili ), in which he became one of the leaders soon.

From November 1991 to December 1992 he was a member of the government of Filip Dimitrov as Chairman of the Committee for Post and Telecommunications of ministerial rank.

On November 19, 1995, he was first elected mayor of Sofia. As such, he was re-elected in 1999 and 2003. On 29 June 2005 he resigned from this office.

Prime Minister and Member of Parliament

On 13 February 1997 he was appointed as Acting Mayor of Sofia by the then President Petar Stoyanov to incumbent Prime Minister to form a transitional government following the resignation of Shan Widenov. On 21 May 1997, took over his party colleague Ivan Kostov after the victory of SDS in the elections to the National Assembly, the Prime Minister's Office.

After the defeat of the SDS in the elections to the National Assembly on 17 June 2001, he resigned from the SDS and founded a short time later the Union of Free Democrats ( Sajus na swobodnite democratic ). In 2005, the SSD with the Bulgarian People's Union ( Balgarski Naroden Sajus ) has joined.

After his resignation as mayor of Sofia, he was elected as a candidate of the BNS to the deputies of the National Assembly on 25 June 2005. From 1 January 2007 to 5 June 2007, he was following the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union is one of Bulgaria's interim deputies in the European Parliament.