Former Vice President Iliana Iotova becomes Bulgaria’s new President after the Constitutional Court ruled today, January 23, that the term of office of Head of State, Rumen Radev, is terminated prematurely following his resignation.
Iotova is the first woman in Bulgaria’s history to hold the office of President.
According to the Constitution, when the powers of the President are terminated, the Vice President assumes the duties of President until the end of the term.
Iotova is the first woman in Bulgaria's history to hold the post of President.
On 19 January, in an address to the Bulgarian people, Rumen Radev announced that he would resign. First of all, I would like to ask for forgiveness. Time has tested your trust, so thank you for your patience. I acknowledge my mistakes, I am aware of what I have failed to do. But my faith that we will achieve it is one of the main motives for my decision," Rumen Radev said at the time.
Rumen Radev and Iliana Iotova took the oath of office in front of the National Assembly for their second five-year term on January 19, 2022. They both took office on 22 January 2022.
On 19 January, in an address to the nation, Rumen Radev announced that he would resign. “Today, for the last time, I am addressing you as the President of our Bulgaria. First, I would like to ask for forgiveness. Time has put your trust to the test, so I thank you for your patience. I acknowledge my mistakes, I am aware of what I failed to accomplish. However, it is precisely my belief that we will achieve it and that is one of the main motives for my decision," Radev said at the time.
Rumen Radev and Iliana Iotova took the oath of office before the National Assembly for their second five-year term on 19 January 2022. They formally assumed office on 22 January 2022.
Iliana Iotova - biography
Iliana Iotova was born on 24 October 1964.
She graduated Bulgarian and French philology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” She specialized at the National School of Administration (ENA- École nationale d'administration) in France and the Center for European Studies (Centre des Etudes Européennes de Strasbourg) in Strasbourg.
She worked as a reporter, editor, news presenter and Head of the News Directorate at Bulgarian National Television (1990- 1997).
She was Director of the press service of the National Council of the BSP (1997-2007).
She was Assembly Deputy in the 40th National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria (2005-2007). She has been Chair of the Bulgarian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie and Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
She became a Member of the European Parliament from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in June 2007. She was member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) during her first mandate as MEP (2007-2009).
During her second mandate as MEP Iliana Iotova was Deputy-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on organised crime, corruption and money laundering (CRIM); she was Deputy-chair of the Delegation to the EU-Moldova Parliamentary Association Committee; she was member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries (PECH), of the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions (PETI), of a Delegation to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, deputy-member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL), member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), and of the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union (DMAG). During this mandate Mrs. Iotova became author of the European Parliament’s first report on the Black Sea and fishery in it.
During her third mandate in the European Parliament (2014-2017) Iliana Iotova was elected deputy-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and for deputy-member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development (REGI). Mrs. Iotova was deputy-member of the European Parliament’s Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. Iliana Iotova was deputy-chair of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the EU – Montenegro Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee, and also member of the European Parliament’s Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly Union for the Mediterranean .
The basic priorities and topics she has been working on include: fighting terrorism, personal data protection, the refugee crisis, Bulgaria’s membership in the Schengen area. She is author of reports and proposals in the European legislation on tackling the migration crisis. In the European Parliament’s Committee on Regional Development she was author of the first European Parliament report on the policy of cohesion of mountainous regions in the EU.
She was member of the Supreme Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (2000 - 2016). She was elected Deputy Chair of the BSP Sofia City Council in January 2006, a position she held until 2012. Iliana Iotova was elected for member of the Executive Bureau of the Bulgarian Socialist Party in 2012 and was its member until 2016.
She is fluent in French. She has good command of Russian and English. She is married and has one son.
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