site.btaWho's Who in the Proposed Government Lineup

Sofia, December 11 (BTA) - Here is what we know about the people in the government lineup that was proposed Saturday by Prime Minister-designate Kiril Petkov:

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance
Assen Vassilev

Born on September 9, 1977 in Haskovo, southern Bulgaria. Graduated in Economics from Harvard University, where he later specialized in business administration and law.

Consultant at Monitor Group in the US, Canada, Europe and the Republic of South Africa from 1999 to 2004. Led marketing and strategic development projects for major international companies in the telecommunications, energy, insurance, mining and a number of consumer goods industries.

Co-founder of the airline ticket pricing company Everbread and its president from 2009 to 2013. Co-founded, with Kiril Petkov, and headed the Center for Economic Strategy and Competitiveness at Sofia University. Taught in the program for economic growth and development of the center, affiliated with Sofia University and the Institute of Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School.
Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism in the caretaker government of Prime Minister Marin Raykov from March 13 to May 29, 2013. Minister of Finance in the first caretaker government of Prime Minister Stefan Yanev between May and September 2021.

On September 19, 2021, Kiril Petkov and Assen Vassilev presented in Sofia their new political project, Continue the Change. It won the November 14 elections with 28 per cent of the vote, and Assen Vassilev was elected to the 47th National Assembly.

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Government Efficiency
Kalina Konstantinova

Born on May 18, 1984 in Sofia. Graduated from Bard College, New York, has a master's degree in Sustainable Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

With professional experience mainly related to the development and modernization of small and medium-sized businesses and start-ups in Bulgaria.

Adviser to Assen Vassilev during his term as Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism in 2013 caretaker government. Economic expert at MoveBG. Head of the business environment programme of the America for Bulgaria Foundation in 2017-2019. Part of the team of an innovative start-up company, LogSentinel, in the field of information security since 2020. Lecturer in the programme for economic growth and development affiliated with Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School. Deputy Economy Minister in the caretaker government of Stefan Yanev between May and September 2021. Former deputy minister of education and science (2014-2016).

Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Economy and Industry
Kornelia Ninova

Born January 16, 1969 in the village of Krushovitsa, Vratsa region in northern Bulgaria. Graduated in law from the University of St. Kliment Ohridski in Sofia.

Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy from September 9, 2005 to May 5, 2007 (in charge of foreign economic relations, the state reserve, and the arms trade). Member of the management of Bulgartabac Holding, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Puldin Turinvest.

Member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) since 2002, and of the party's National Council since 2008. Spokesperson for the Executive Bureau of the BSP National Council from December 2008 to November 2009, and after that its Secretary (until June 2012).

Member of seven Parliaments (since 2009), including the new one. BSP floor leader in the last four Parliaments.

Elected BSP leader on May 8, 2016, at the 49th Congress of the party to become the first female chairman in the history of the party. Vice President of the Socialist International since March 3, 2017.

Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Regional Development and Public Works
Grozdan Karadjov

Born December 14, 1966 in Stara Zagora, southern Bulgaria. He graduated in law from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Co-founder and national coordinator of the Bulgarian Association for Fair Elections, co-founder of the Maria's World Foundation, and co-founder and chairman of the Civil Council association (Grajdanski savet).
Served as programme coordinator, secretary general and programme director at the Open Society Foundation in 1990-1995. Completed a course in telecommunications management in Tokyo, Japan, in 1998.

Secretary General of the Committee on Posts and Telecommunications, Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport and Communications and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company in 1996-2011.
Member of the 43rd National Assembly (2014-2017) from the Reformist Bloc coalition. Chairman of the Committee on Transport, Information Technology and Communications and member of the Committee on Interaction with Non-Governmental Organizations and Citizens' Complaints.

Married, with four children, speaks English and Russian.

Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Environment and Water
Borislav Sandov

Born in Madan, southern Bulgaria, in 1982. Graduated in geography from St Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia with a master's degree in water management and climate resources.

Active participant in various environmental campaigns, including one for banning GMO in agriculture and for imposing a moratorium on shale gas production in Bulgaria. Expert on sustainable development and climate for leading NGOs. Bulgarian coordinator of the European citizens' initiative for protection of bees. Organization secretary of the Bulgarian Association for Organic Products in 2010-2012. Among the founders of the first farmers' market in Sofia. Co-chair of Green Balkans environment protection organization in 2015-2018.

MP in the 46th National Assembly earlier in 2021 and chaired the parliamentary environment committee.

Among the founders of the Greens (renamed Green Movement) in 2008 and its co-chair in 2012-2014. Came down from the party leadership - together with the entire leadership - in November 2021 after the unsatisfactory election performance of the Democratic Bulgaria coalition, where the Greens are one of three partners.

Interior Minister
Boyko Rashkov

Born on September 28, 1954 in the village of Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Region, southern Bulgaria. Graduated in law from Sofia University of St. Kliment Ohridski. An associate professor of criminal procedure.

Worked as an investigator in the Regional Investigation Service in Sofia, and director of the National Investigation Service. Has served as member of the Supreme Judicial Council.

Deputy Chair of the Committee on Internal Security and Public Order in the 39th National Assembly and member of the committees on combating corruption and legal affairs. Headed a department in the National Investigation Service. Deputy Minister of Justice in the government of Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev in 2008-2009.

Elected by Parliament to head the National Bureau for Control over Special Intelligence Means in 2009 and for a second term in 2013. Nominated by BSP for a third term but failed to win enough votes in the legislature.

Appointed on President Rumen Radev's Legal Council in 2020.
Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and caretaker Minister of the Interior in the first and second caretaker governments of Stefan Yanev in 2021.

Minister of Foreign Affairs
Teodora Genchovska

Expert in defence and armed forces. Graduated from the Military Academy and acquired additional qualifications in Germany, the UK, Italy and the US.

Started her professional career at the General Staff of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and went through all levels to become head of the NATO and EU Department at the Ministry of Defence, where her responsibilities included drafting expert positions and reports for the ministry's political leadership. As a Ministry official, she has been on all Bulgarian delegations to recent NATO summits in Turkey, Wales, Poland and Belgium.
As chief expert in the administration of President Rumen Radev, she was part of the team in the coordination unit for the organization of the Sixth Three Seas Initiative Summit in Sofia. Released from the position in early August.

Designated twice by There Is Such a People as Minister of Defence but the proposed governments didn't go through.

Defence Minister
Stefan Yanev

Born on March 1, 1960 in Popovitsa, Plovdiv Region in southern Bulgaria. Graduated from the Higher National Military Artillery School in Shoumen in 1983 and from the G. S. Rakovski Military Academy in Sofia in 1993. Received further training at the National War College with the National Defense University, Washington D.C.

Served as Director of Defence Ministry Defence Policy Directorate, and of Security and Defense Policy Directorate; defense attache at the Bulgarian Embassy in Washington D.C.; Head of Transformations Department, NATO Defense Against Terrorism Center of Excellence (DAT COE), Ankara, Turkey; analyst with Partnership for Peace Coordination Cell's Planning and Programming Section, Mons, Belgium; Senior Assistant Chief, Strategies and Doctrines Division with the Defense and Armed Forces Planning Department.

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of law and order and security, and Defence Minister in the 2017 caretaker government. Security and Defense Secretary of President Rumen Radev until 11 May 2021. Headed two caretaker governments (since May 12, 2021).

Fluent in English, German and Russian. Married, with two children.

Justice Minister

Nadejda Yordanova

Born on March 6, 1973 in Kubrat, in the northeast. Graduated in law from Sofia University. Lawyer with expertise in the field of administrative and commercial law, public procurement and projects funded by the EU and international organizations. Worked at the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works in 1995-2005, starting as an expert and moving up to become head of the Legal Directorate. Headed the political cabinet of the Minister of Justice, Hristo Ivanov, in 2014-2015. Co-authored the bills for electronic voting and voting by mail, proposed by Democratic Bulgaria in 2018, as well as the bill for video surveillance during the vote count.

Member of the Executive and National councils of Yes, Bulgaria!. MP from the Democratic Bulgaria Coalition in the 45th, 46th and 47th National Assemblies. Deputy floor leader of Democratic Bulgaria in the 45th and 46th National Assembly. Served as deputy Chairman of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs, and member of the ad-hoc committee for drafting rules for the organization and activity of the 46th National Assembly.

Labour and Social Policy Minister
Georgi Gyokov

Born in Lyubenovo, in the Stara Zagora region in southern Bulgaria, in 1961. Graduated from the Technical University in Gabrovo. Municipal councillor and director of the Labour Bureau in Stara Zagora. MP of BSP for Bulgaria since 2013, from the 42nd to the present, 47th, National Assembly. Member of the parliamentary committees on labour and social policy; citizens' rights and complaints; interaction with NGOs; and healthcare. From 18 August 2021 to 15 September 2021.

Education and Science Minister
Nikolay Denkov

Born on September 3, 1962 in Stara Zagora in southern Bulgaria. Graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Professor of physical chemistry, Ph.D., D.Sc., Corresponding Member of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Member of the European Academy of Sciences "Academia Europea" and of the European Space Agency's Physical Sciences Expert Group.

Deputy Minister of Education and Science in charge of higher education and the European Structural Funds between August 2014 and April 2016. Caretaker Minister of Education and Science since May 12, 2021.

Ranked among the top 2 per cent of the world's best scientists by Stanford University.

Health Minister
Assena Serbezova

Born on March 30, 1973. Graduated in pharmacy from the Sofia Medical University with a master's degree in health management and public health. Also has a master's in health policy and pharmacoeconomics from the Barcelona School of Management, Spain.

Served as member of the National Council on Medicine Prices and Reimbursement (2013-2014) and Executive Director of Executive Agency for Medicines (2014-2018). Professor of pharmacoeconomics, quality management in the pharma industry and medicinal products at the Sofia Medical University.

Headed the quality commission of the Bulgarian Pharmaceutical Union (207-2010) and served as the deputy chair of the Union's Board (2010-2013). Elected to chair the Union in February 2020. Also a member of the Board of the European Medicines Agency. Author and co-author of more than 100 scientific publications, schools and monographs.

Minister of Culture
Atanas Atanassov

Born in Haskovo, southern Bulgaria, on April 3, 1990. Earned a bachelor's degree in theatre art from Whitman College in the US as one of the top 3 per cent of graduates. Lived in Hollywood, Berlin and London working as an actor and producer of documentary films. Started a fundraiser for restoring the Chitalishte community centre in the village of his grandparents, Tatarevo, and has been organizing a festival there for six years now to keep alive the Chitalishte stage.

A successful tennis player in younger age: at 14 became national champion for couples together with Grigor Dimitrov.

Elected to the new Parliament on the ticket of Continue the Change.

Agriculture Minister
Ivan Ivanov

Born on August 13, 1975 in Shumen, northeastern Bulgaria. Graduated in history from the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and in law from the St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo. Has a PhD in History from the Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen. Member of the Shumen Bar.

Municipal councilor in Shumen from 2007 until 2013. MP from the BSP for Bulgaria coalition in seven Parliaments, including the new one. Member of the parliamentary committees on legal affairs; European affairs; internal affairs and public order; European affairs and control of European funds. Deputy floor leader of the BSP for Bulgaria group in the previous Parliament.

Languages: English, German and Russian.


Minister of Transport and Communications
Nikolay Sabev

Born on September 24, 1960, in Ruse, on the Danube. Graduated from the Higher Naval School in Varna and the University of National and World Economy in Sofia with a degree in transport management. Worked for ten years at Navigation Maritime Bulgare, rising to the position of Trade Director. Established the Ekont Trans forwarding company in 1993 and the Ekont Express parcel carrier in 1997.

Elected to Parliament on the Continue the Change ticket.

Father of three daughters.

Minister of Innovations and Growth
Daniel Lorer

Born on May 28, 1976. Studied computer sciences and business management in the Tel Aviv University. Worked and lived in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and Israel. Has 20 years of experience as investor and entrepreneur. Co-founded in 1999 his first startup, FranceBusinessPlus, in Paris and later sold it to a local wholesaler. Held managerial positions in the Israeli company Mercury Interactive. Co-founded Optiim, a software solutions company based in Istanbul, in 2006 and sold it ten years later to Austria's New Frontier Group. Co-founded in 2018 BrightCap Ventures, a fund for investment in hi-tech companies (left the organization in 2021).

Served as advisor to the e-government minister in the 2013 caretaker government and as advisor to the Economy Minister (Kiril Petkov) in the first caretaker government of Stefan Yanev in 2021. Chaired the Economy Ministry Transparency Commission.

Member of the Board of the Shalom Organization of Jews in Bulgaria until September 2021.

Elected to the new Parliament on the Continue the Change ticket.

Married with three children. Speaks English, Hebrew, French, Russian and German.

Minister of eGovernment
Bozhidar Bozhanov

Born on August 19, 1987 in Burgas, on the Black Sea coast. Graduated in computer and information systems at Goldsmiths, University of London. A software engineer with over 10 years of experience in international companies. Founder and CEO of the information security company LogSentinel. Member of the group of IT experts Obshtestvo.bg, working to build better digital tools for communication between the State and the citizens. A passionate advocate of e-government.

E-government advisor to Deputy Prime Minister Rumyana Bachvarova in 2015-2016. Participated in the creation of the e-government roadmap for the period 2016-2020, comprising details of more than 30 future projects, as well as legislative initiatives aimed to digitize the public administration and make it more transparent.

Member of the Executive Council and the National Council of the Yes, Bulgaria! party and member of the 47th National Assembly from the Democratic Bulgaria coalition.

Energy Minister
Alexander Nikolov

Born on December 2, 1982. Graduated from the Sofia University of National and World Economics with a degree in finance. received additional training in the field of digital transformation of businesses and management in telecoms, finance, investment and capital markets. Served as executive director of a venture capital fund, managed strategic projects.

Deputy Energy Minister in the caretaker government of Stefan Yanev from May to August 2021.

Minister of Tourism
Hristo Prodanov

Born in Panagyurishte, central Bulgaria, in 1977. Graduated from the Sofia University of Mining and Geology with a master's degree in industrial management. Member of the Board of Directors of several municipal and state-owned companies, including arms trader Kintex.

Headed one of the BSP borough chapters in Sofia and served as deputy leader of the Sofia city chapter. MP in four successive Parliaments, member of the parliamentary committees of economy and tourism; for children, youth and sport; human rights and religious denominations. Deputy floor leader of BSP for Bulgaria in this Parliament. Speaks English and Russian.

Sport Minister
Radostin Vassilev

Born in Pleven, northern Bulgaria, on January 1, 1985. Holds a degree in law from the St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia. Member of the Sofia Bar with 13 years of experience in common, commercial and labour law. One of very few lawyers in Bulgaria working on international sport cases. Has been legal adviser for athletes, sport federations and clubs.

Autor of articles and monographs on the legal aspects of sport on national and international level.

MP in the last three Parliaments elected on the ticket of There Is Such a People. LN/MT/BR