Bulgaria’s October 2024 elections: Dossier Commission discloses who worked for communist-era secret services
The Dossier Commission, the body required by law to disclose who in various walks of public life worked for Bulgaria’s communist-era secret services, announced on October 18 which candidates in Bulgaria’s October 27 2024 National Assembly elections were affiliated with State Security.
The commission said that of the 4848 candidates, it checked 1793. The remaining 3055 were not checked because they are below the age threshold set in law.
It listed 41 identified as having worked for State Security.
This is lower than the figure of 79 identified ahead of the June 2024 early parliamentary elections, but in those elections, there were more candidates – 6136 – of whom 2316 were subject to checking.
Among those named by the Dossier Commission on October 18 is Movement for Rights and Freedoms founder and honorary president Ahmed Dogan, who has been identified before on several occasions. In these elections, Dogan is standing in his Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) coalition.
Dogan’s rival, Delyan Peevski, has one candidate, from his Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning coalition, identified as former State Security.
Among the major parties and coalitions, the only two identified as not having former State Security people among their candidates are the refomist We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria coalition, and pro-Kremlin party Vuzrazhdane.
Boiko Borissov’s centre-right GERB-UDF coalition has one candidates named as having worked for State Security.
Among other parties that won seats in June, in the October elections cable television presenter Slavi Trifonov’s populist ITN party has one former State Security person as a candidate, while populist-nationalist Velichie also has one.
As disclosed by the Dossier Commission, the list is:
Adrian Hadzhiev, Bulgarian Union for Direct Democracy
Assen Belchev, Russophiles for Bulgaria
Aspararuh Karastoyanov, Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left
Ahmed Dogan, ARF
Boris Zlatarev, Ataka
Valentin Hristov, Bulgari
Vangel Arabadzhiev, BSP – United Left
Velizar Enchev, BSP – United Left
Vulyo Iliev, Russophiles for Bulgaria
Dimitar Dimitrov, BSP – United Left
Doriyan Avramov, My Country Bulgaria
Emil Georgiev, Bulgari
Emil Denkov, Russophiles for Bulgaria
Emil Vladimirov, Russophiles for Bulgaria
Ivan Tokadzhiev, BSP – United Left
Ivan Turpomanov, BSP – United Left
Krassimir Stefanov, Ataka
Krassimir Kostov, Velichie
Krassimir Assenov, MRF – New Beginning
Lyubomir Hristov, GERB-UDF
Lyubomir Slavkov, BSP – United Left
Maxim Velkov, KOY – Competence, Responsibility, Truth
Maxim Mladenov, ITN
Milan Kosarov, Bulgaria for Labour and Reason
Nako Stefanov, KOY – Competence, Responsibility, Truth
Nikolai Nikolov, Bulgarian Union for Direct Democracy
Nikolai Radulov, Mech
Pavel Denkov, The Right
Petko Stoykov, Free Voters
Petar Zhelyazkov, Blue Bulgaria
Radeon Popov, ARF
Radko Handzhiev, Russophiles for Bulgaria
Radko Radev, Ataka
Ramadan Atalay, ARF
Roumen Nikolov, KOY – Competence, Responsibility, Truth
Roumen Sokolov, BSP – United Left
Stefan Genov, BSP – United Left
Stoyan Trashliev, Bulgaria Ascending
Todor Ivanov, DOST
Hristo Dunchev, Party of the Greens
Yanko Yanev, BSP – United Left
The Sofia Globe’s factfile for the October 27 2024 early parliamentary elections is available at this link.
(Archive photo: Dossier Commission)
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