Plamen Tonchev Elected Head of Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security

With the support of Progressive Bulgaria, GERB-UDF and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms party, Parliament has elected Plamen Tonchev as Chairman of the State Agency for National Security (SANS).

Tonchev previously held the post from 2021 until the summer of 2025. He was subsequently elected by the National Assembly to serve as Chairman of the Commission on the Disclosure of Documents and Announcing the Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens to the State Security Services and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian People's Army (the Commission on the Files).

Ivan Demerdzhiev, Minister of the Interior: “The Council of Ministers believes that his extensive professional and institutional experience fully meets the high requirements of this senior leadership position. In the government's view, his proven managerial skills, excellent knowledge of the legal framework and capacity to assume responsibility provide a solid guarantee for the effective, transparent and lawful management of SANS.”

Daniel Mitov, MP for the GERB-UDF parliamentary group: “We see this nomination as an attempt by the governing majority to address the current problems in the work of SANS.”

Bozhidar Bozhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group: “If the heads of the security services are dependent, while at the same time wielding enormous power, and all of this remains secret, then we have a very serious problem. That is why we will not support Mr Tonchev's nomination.”

Nikolay Denkov, Chairman of the We Continue the Change parliamentary group: “Plamen Tonchev knows the field well, but he is entirely unsuitable for this role today because, over the years, he has demonstrated that he carries out political instructions.”

Dimo Drenchev, MP for the Vazrazhdane parliamentary group: “I believe that Bulgaria does not need a head of SANS like this, Bulgarian society does not need one, and this way of operating the security services should not continue.”

Photos: Dessislava Kulelieva, BNT