Fifty-seven candidate MPs in Bulgaria’s November election worked for communist-era secret services
Fifty-seven of the candidates in Bulgaria’s November 14 early parliamentary elections worked for the country’s communist-era secret services State Security or the intelligence corps of the Bulgarian People’s Army, the Dossier Commission said on November 1.
Out of a total of 5089 candidate MPs, 2065 were checked. The rest were not checked because of an exemption in the statute for those too young to have been recruited by State Security.
Alone among the parties and coalitions standing in Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections, the Democratic Bulgaria coalition has no former State Security people among its candidates.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has the most, followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, the ultra-nationalist Patriotic Front and the Russophiles for Revival of the Fatherland coalition.
Also on the list are Boiko Borissov’s GERB-UDF coalition, the National Union of the Right (an election coalition of Petar Moskov’s and Tsvetan Tsvetanov’s parties), the Kiril Petkov-Assen Vassilev We Continue the Change party, Slavi Trifonov’s ITN, the “Rise Up Bulgaria! We’re Coming” coalition, VMRO and Volen Siderov’s Ataka party.
A number of the names announced by the Dossier Commission have been disclosed previously, as a result of checks, for instance, ahead of previous elections.
Bulgaria’s constitution does not allow lustration, so being identified as having worked for the communist-era secret services is not a bar to elected public office. Those previously identified by the Dossier Commission include two-term Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov, former deputy prime minister and VMRO leader Krassimir Karakachanov, and Bozhidar Dimitrov, minister without portfolio in the first Borissov government.
The Dossier Commission named:
Angel Russev (Vuzhrazhdane)
Boiko Klechkov (BSP)
Boriso Zlatarov (Ataka)
Valentin Hristov (Bulgarian National Union)
Valentin Vatsev (Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland)
Valentin Zayakov (BSP)
Vangel Arabadzhiev (“Rise Up Bulgaria! We’re Coming”)
Vassil Subev (We Continue the Change)
Velizar Enchev (BSP)
Ventsislav Ivanov (MIR)
Vesselin Kolev (Patriotic Front)
Vladimir Chuchuev (Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland)
Vladimir Gurbelov (Patriotic Front)
Georgi Vulchev (Patriotic Front)
Georgi Angelov (Right)
Georgi Georgiev (Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland)
Georgi Vdovichin (GERB-UDF)
Georgi Popovski (Patriotic Front)
Georgi Georgiev (VMRO)
Gosho Georgiev (Bulgarian National Union New Democracy)
Darin Kinov (“Rise Up Bulgaria! We’re Coming”)
Daud Ibryam (MRF)
Dahil Selim (“Rise Up Bulgaria! We’re Coming”)
Dencho Boyadzhiev (BSP)
Dimitar Kerushev (Patriotic Front)
Emil Dinev (Volya)
Emil Vladimirov (Ataka)
Emil Georgiev (BSP)
Ercan Ahmed (We Continue the Change)
Zhivko Chaparov (Vuzrazhdane)
Ivan Hinovski (ITN)
Ivan Tarpomanov (Bulgarian Progessive Line)
Ivan Koinarski (GERB-UDF)
Krassimir Karakachanov (VMRO)
Maxim Velkov (Bulgarian National Union)
Mehmed Yumer (MRF)
Milcho Pelov (Volya)
Mincho Minchev (BSP)
Nako Stefanov (Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland)
Nikolai Radulov (ITN)
Radko Handzhiev (Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland)
Radko Radev (Ataka)
Radoslav Kutiyski (BSP)
Ramadan Atalay (MRF)
Roumen Gechev (BSP)
Sando Zahariev (MRF)
Sashko Lozanov (BSP)
Svetla Zlateva (National Union of the Right)
Sivo Sivov (BSP)
Slavi Netsov (Volya)
Stefan Dedev (GERB-UDF)
Stoyan Vitanov (BSP)
Stoyan Stoyanov (MRF)
Tasko Ermenkov (BSP)
Toma Tomov (We Continue the Change)
Hristo Dunchev (Party of the Greens)
Hristo Smolenov (VMRO).
(Photo: Dossier Commission)
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