French Cultural Institute Commemorates Bulgaria's First Democratically Elected President, Zhelyu Zhelev

On 10 November, the French Cultural Institute paid tribute to one of Bulgaria’s pivotal figures in the post-communist transition, President Zhelyu Zhelev. At the start of 1989, during the so-called “Breakfast with Mitterrand,” Zhelev met French President François Mitterrand for the first time, forging a close bond. Historians and diplomats today recalled this landmark moment in Bulgaria’s recent history.

It Has Been 36 Years Since the Start of Bulgaria's Transition to Democracy

Jean Musitelli, who served as diplomatic adviser and spokesperson for President Mitterrand between 1984 and 1995, spoke about the encounter at a breakfast hosted at the French Embassy on 20 January 1989. During a visit to Bulgaria under Todor Zhivkov’s regime, Mitterrand met with twelve Bulgarian intellectuals, including the author of Fascism.

Jean Musitelli, honorary member of the French State Council and former ambassador, said:
"Mitterrand recognised an enlightened mind in Zhelev. He appreciated interlocutors endowed with wisdom and determination. He considered Zhelev an innovator and admired the new style of relations he established towards the Balkans as president."

According to Musitelli, the breakfast became a moment of rediscovery between Bulgaria and France. Mitterrand and Zhelev would go on to meet ten times in total. Stefan Tafrov, who served as diplomatic adviser to President Zhelev, added:

"He was impeccably honest, uninterested in material wealth or money, and set an example for all politicians after him… For Dr Zhelev and for all of us at that time, France represented human rights and freedom. In a completely natural way, its prominent representatives became a main pillar of support for us in the Union of Democratic Forces as we built a democratic Bulgaria."

The conference at the institute also featured an exhibition on the life of Bulgaria’s first democratically elected president. The photographs came from an extensive collection donated to the State Archives by Stanka Zheleva.

Assoc. Prof. Mihail Gruev, Chair of the State Archives, said:

"The archive spans approximately 13 linear metres in height. We have selected only a small portion of the photographs and documents to mark Zhelev’s 90th anniversary and to commemorate this historic day, not only for Bulgaria but for the whole of Eastern Europe."

This year also marks ten years since the passing of Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgaria's first democratically elected President.