site.btaUPDATED Who's Who in Proposed Government Lineup

Here is what we know about the people in the government line-up that was proposed Friday by Prime Minister Designate Nikolay Denkov of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria and Mariya Gabriel of GERB:

Prime Minister for the next nine months: Nikolay Denkov

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. Ranked among the top 2% of the world's best scientists by Stanford University. 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 from May to December 2021. Minister of Education and Science in the government of Kiril Petkov from December 2021 to August 2022. Member of the 48th and 49th National Assembly.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Prime Minister in Nine Months: Mariya Gabriel

Holds a master's degree in international relations and comparative politics from the Institute of Political Sciences of Bordeaux, France. Parliamentary secretary to MEPs from the GERB political party within the EPP Group from 2008 to 2009. Member of the European Parliament (EPP/GERB) from 2009 to May 2023. In 2012, Gabriel was elected Vice-President of the EPP Women. Vice-President of the EPP Group in the European Parliament from 2014 to 2017. She served as European Commissioner twice, for Digital Economy and Society (2017-2019) and for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth (2019-2023). She resigned as European Commissioner last month to become GERB-UDF’s prime minister designate under the first government-forming mandate.

Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds, Minister of Finance: Assen Vassilev

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 programme 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. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the government of Kiril Petkov from December 2021 to August 2022. Member of the 48th and 49th National Assembly. Co-leader of the Continue the Change party. 

Minister of Interior: Kalin Stoyanov

Graduated from the Interior Ministry Academy in Sofia in 2003 and obtained a degree in law from Burgas Free University in 2009. Worked as intelligence officer at the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) from 2011 to 2016. From 2016 to 2018, he headed the police department in the coastal town of Primorsko. Appointed head of unit at the GDCOC in 2018. Head of the GDCOC since May 2021.

Minister of Defence: Todor Tagarev

Prof. Todor Tagarev graduated from the Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force Academy in 1982 as an engineer. In 1989, he defended his dissertation at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and in 1994 he graduated the United States Air Force Air Command and Staff College in 1994. Tagarev is a former caretaker defence minister in the government headed by Marin Raikov in 2013. Prior to that, he served as Director for Defence Planning and as a National Armaments Director at the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence. He also sat on the NATO Research and Technology Board.

Minister of Environment and Water, Chairperson of the European Green Deal Advisory Board: Julian Popov

Senior advisor to the European Climate Foundation, Chairperson of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe and former caretaker environment minister. He is a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, Advisory Board of Climate-KIC, and the boards of several other energy and climate related organizations. Julian Popov has twice been ranked by EurActiv as one of the 40 most influential voices in European energy policy.

Minister of Energy: Rumen Radev

Deputy Chairperson of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association. Holds a degree in Physics from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and a degree in Finance from the University of National and World Economy. Radev is Director of Economic Development of Holding Zagora Ltd.

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works: Andrey Tsekov

Graduated from the Faculty of Law of the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. Specialized in European Union Law at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Management at Stanford. Has 20 years' experience in investment process management and large corporate structures. Teaches construction law and contract law at the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy and at the Lyuben Karavelov Higher School of Civil Engineering in Sofia. Deputy finance minister between December 2021 and August 2022.

Minister of Agriculture and Food: Kiril Vatev

Member of the Managing Board of the Association of Meat Processors in Bulgaria, owner of the Tandem V manufacturer of meat products. Graduated in freestyle wrestling from the National Sports Academy (1978-1982) and was a coach for 11 years.

Minister of Economy: Bogdan Bogdanov

Holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the Higher School of Insurance and Finance. Holds a master’s degree in European Business and Finance from the University of National and World Economy and the Nottingham Trent University in the UK. Business development specialist with over 10 years of experience. Bogdanov has worked for Bulgarian and foreign companies with a focus on development and high added value industries. Executive Director of the InvestBulgaria Agency.

Minister of Innovation and Growth: Milena Stoycheva

Holds degrees and has specialized from Bulgarian and foreign universities such as Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Penn State University, UC Berkeley and MIT. CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria Foundation, which is part of JA Worldwide, a global non-profit youth organization. Stoycheva teaches innovation and entrepreneurship as a visiting professor at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. Currently serves as a director of Innovation and Transformation at EIT Culture & Creativity. Stoycheva is a winner of JA Worldwide's highest global leadership award, the 2021 Soraya Salti Award for her contribution to community development through economic education and opportunity. She has also been granted the Women Leaders Award of the US Embassy in Bulgaria.

Minister of Labour and Social Policy: Ivanka Shalapatova 

Holds master’s degrees in English Language Studies and Bulgarian Language Studies. Holds a Doctorate Degree in Social Studies. Shalapatova is a former vice president of the International Foster Care Organization (IFCO) and former IFCO Board of Directors member. She is a former caretaker deputy minister of labour and social policy (2013). Executive Director of the For Our Children foundation, a non-governmental organization.

Minister of Justice: Atanas Slavov

A constitutional lawyer, professor of public law studies at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Holds master’s degrees in law from the University of Glasgow and in Constitutional Law from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Works as a civil lawyer. Slavov was a constitutional affairs advisor to former deputy prime minister and justice minister Hristo Ivanov (2014-2015), and advisor on legislative issues of deputy prime minister and interior minister Rumyana Bachvarova (2016). He participated in a team that drafted amendments to the Constitution in 2015. Over the years, Slavov has been a civic activist and advocate for radical judicial reform, civic participation and accountability of institutions. Member of Parliament in the 45th, 46th, 47th, 48th and 49th National Assembly.

Minister of Health: Hristo Hinkov

Graduated in medicine in 1980. Specialized in Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Japan and the United States. Has been involved in many projects and programmes related to health care and health care reform. Was instrumental in restoring the Bulgarian Medical Association in 1990. Deputy Аirector of the National Health Insurance Fund (1999-2001). Director of the National Center of Public Health and Analyses - NCPHA (2014-2022). Professor at the Mental Health and Addiction Prevention Directorate, NCPHA.

Minister of Education and Science: Galin Tsokov

Professor in education management at the Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv and director of its department for qualification and professional development of specialists in pedagogy. Deputy head of the University of Plovdiv’s Faculty of Pedagogy. In 2017, he specialized at Madrid’s National University of Distance Education under the Erasmus+ programme. He attended a specialization in education leadership at New York’s Bank Street College of Education in 2014. He has authored over 100 scientific publications in Bulgaria and abroad.

Minister of Tourism: Zaritsa Georgieva Dinkova

Holds a Master’s degree in diplomacy and international relations from the Complutense University of Madrid and Diplomatic School with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She was deputy foreign minister in the two caretaker governments in 2021. Chief political adviser in the European Parliament. Has experience as manager of big international projects for the UN and the EU.

Minister of Transport and Communications: Georgi Gvozdeikov

Holds a Master’s degree in aviation equipment and technologies, aircraft designing from the Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force Academy. He played an active part in the creation of the Bulgaria’s first system for emergency air medical care. Deputy Chair of the Transport Committee in the 47th National Assembly.

Minister of Electronic Governance: Alexander Yolovski

Holds a Master’s degree in political science from the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. Has more than ten years of experience in planning, implementing, coordinating, and controlling activities related to the administrative reform and e-governance as well as in the field of strategic planning for the public administration’s and the e-government’ needs. Yolovski was Deputy e-Government Minister in cabinet of Kiril Petkov from February to August 2022. Senior manager for projects at Information Services AD since August 2022.

Minister of Culture: Krastyu Krastev

Graduated from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts in Sofia in 1983. Worked at Pazardjik’s Puppet Theatre. Became director of Smolyan’s Rhodope Drama Theatre in 1998. Head of Plovdiv’s Drama Theatre since August 2010. 

Minister of Youth and Sports: Dimitar Iliev

Eight-times rally champion of Bulgaria and the only Bulgaria to have won Rally Bulgaria three times. Puts an end to his sports career in 2013 and becomes lecturer in automobile and motorcycle sport at the Vassil Levski National Sports Academy.