Zhelyu Zhelev
Schelju Mitew Zhelev (also Zelju Mitev Zelev written, Bulgarian Желю Митев Желев; born March 3, 1935 in Wesselinowo ) is a Bulgarian philosopher, politician and former dissident. He was from 1 August 1990 to January 22, 1997 President of his country.
Zhelev comes from the village Wesselinowo in northwestern Bulgaria; . , he joined in 1958 at the University of Sofia his studies in philosophy and a Ph.D. in 1974, he was a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party, but was excluded for political reasons in 1965 and exiled from Sofia; six years of unemployment were the result.
In 1988 he was co-founder of the club for the support of transparency and reform. 1990 Schelju Zhelev leader of the opposition Union of Democratic Forces (SDS ), which was created during the process of democratization of the former People's Republic. He was elected by the ( constitutional ) 7th Grand National Assembly, for the first democratically elected president of Bulgaria on 1 August 1990 and 1992 confirmed the first direct elections under the new Constitution of 1991 in his office: After Zhelev in the first round of elections on 12 January 1992 with 44.66 % had received the most votes, he then sat down in the runoff a week later with 52.85 % of the votes cast by.
On 9 October 1991 Zhelev, signed in Bonn the German -Bulgarian Treaty of friendly cooperation and partnership in Europe.
Zhelev criticized the UN embargo policy towards Yugoslavia in the early 1990s - the trade boycott Bulgaria cost about 40-60 million dollars a month.
Because of differences within the party he withdrew his party 's support in 1996; Petar Stoyanov, the victorious candidate of the Union of Democratic Forces in the subsequent presidential election, succeeded him on 19 January 1997 from his post as president.
As a result, Zhelev operated politically on a smaller scale: He was honorary chairman of the Liberal Democratic Union and the Liberal International; In 1997 he started a foundation named after him. Zhelev also is the founder and President of the Political Balkan clubs, a union of former political leaders from South Eastern Europe. Today he is Honorary Chairman of the Liberal Party in Bulgaria.
Zhelev the author of a number of books and publications, as his most important work is considered controversial book published in 1982 Fascism ( Фашизмът ).