BULGARIA’S FIRST DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT PASSED AWAY

Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgaria’s first democratically elected President passed away at the age of 79. He was the Head of State from 1990 to 1997.

He graduated with a degree in philosophy from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and obtained a PhD degree. In 1960 he became member of the Bulgarian Communist Party, but was expelled in 1965 for dissenting views.

He spent several years unemployed because the regime isolated him.

Zhelev became renowned for his book "The Fascism", published in 1982. Shortly after this first edition, the book was banned and stopped for distribution, as it described the similarities between totalitarian regimes in Nazi Germany and the Soviet bloc.

In November 1988 he initiated the founding of one of the first Bulgarian dissident organisation - The Club for Glasnost and Perestroika.

For his views and activities Zhelyu Zhelev was persecuted by the Communist Regime and arrested.

After the fall of Zhivkov regime on the 10th of November 1989, Zhelev was among the initiators of the unification of the different dissident groups into one organisation. The Union of Democratic Forces was set up on 7th of December 1989 and Zhelev was elected as its first chairperson.

In January 1992, Zhelyu Zhelev became the first democratically elected President of Bulgaria. He held the post until 1997.

In January 1997 he established “Dr. Zhelyu Zhelev” Foundation, which collected and published the documentary heritage of Bulgaria’s most recent political history.

In May 2001 Zhelev founded the Balkan Political Club, where he was joined by politicians and statesmen from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania and Turkey. Their motto is “Think globally, act locally".

Dr. Zhelev's last public appearance was on the 28th of January, when he took part in the third annual meeting of Bulgaria’s former Presidents - the Council of Presidents.