site.bta32 Years Ago Today: Bulgarian Long-serving Communist Leader Zhivkov Is Ousted, Country Starts Transition to Democracy

Sofia, November 10 (Metodi Yordanov of BTA) - November 10, 1989, is widely seen as the day Bulgaria embarked on its journey of transition to democracy. On that fateful Friday, while East Germans were starting to demolish the Berlin Wall some 1300 km away, Bulgaria's long-time communist leader Todor Zhivkov was dismissed as secretary general of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) during a Politburo meeting in Sofia.

Zhivkov's removal came after demonstrations on environmental issues earlier in the month had taken a turn to a broader movement demanding general political reforms. The BCP had been ruling the country with an iron grip and the Soviet Union's support since the end of WWII, while Zhivkov had been at the helm of the party for 35 years, which made him one of the longest-serving leaders in the Eastern Bloc. After he was ousted by senior BCP officials, who seemed to have sensed the course of future events, the party's monopoly on power was soon lifted and democratic elections were held within months. This pivotal day, November 10, 1989, is widely used as a reference point between two eras in Bulgaria's contemporary history. The previous such turning point is September 9, 1944, when the Soviet-backed Fatherland Front (led by the Bulgarian communists) overthrew Konstantin Muraviev's Government, plunging this country into the Soviet sphere of influence for the next 45 years. In the not-so distant past, elderly people could often be heard saying "It was before the 9th, or after the 9th," apparently referring to September 9, 1944. Many people nowadays use November 10 as a reference point.

The period of transition to democracy was not an easy one. It was marked by serious social, political and economic changes, such as the privatization of previously collectivized land, of banks and of an outdated industry, which failed to effectively compete on the global markets. This led to high unemployment - something virtually unknown during the previous decades, loss of income and a sharp decline in people's standard of living. There was widespread graft, theft and the cultivation of criminal enterprises, to which the authorities often turned a blind eye or even actively participated in.

Senior communist officials and high-ranking members of the former Committee for State Security, which was the totalitarian regime's secret service and main tool for maintaining its grip on power and keeping people in check, were also actively involved in the transition period. They are alleged to have used various means to influence the course of political and economic events in Bulgaria in the following years. The aftereffects of these processes seem to continue in some shape or form to this day, prompting many to insist that the transition period is still ongoing, despite this country's NATO and EU memberships, which have been a fact since 2004 and 2007, respectively.