Bulgaria’s Radev Cabinet: meet the ministers
Bulgaria’s Parliament voted on May 8 to elect a government headed by Roumen Radev, less than three weeks after his Progressive Bulgaria electoral coalition won 131 seats in Bulgaria’s 240-seat National Assembly on April 19.
Radev was the first to win an outright majority in Parliament since the Union of Democratic Forces won 137 seats in 1997 and can govern without needing to enter into any coalitions with other parties for support to pass his legislative agenda.
His decisive win is expected to put an end to the protracted period of political instability that saw eight parliamentary elections held in Bulgaria between April 2021 and April 2026.
Only three of those parliaments succeeded in electing a government, with those three governments spending a combined two years and a half in office. The rest of the time, Bulgaria was governed by caretaker cabinets, including four appointed in their entirety by Radev when he was the country’s president. Some of those appointments return as part of the Radev government.
His Cabinet features four deputy prime ministers and 18 ministerial portfolios, one fewer than the Rossen Zhelyazkov government that resigned in February and the Andrey Gyurov caretaker government that succeeded it, after the e-government ministry was merged into the economy ministry.
The CVs of the Cabinet members are as follows:
Prime Minister – Roumen Radev
Elected President of Bulgaria in 2016 and re-elected in 2021, he resigned as head of state with a year left in his second and final term to run in the April parliamentary election. Before that, he was head of Bulgaria’s Air Force in 2014-16. A fighter jet pilot with more than 1400 flight hours, he retired from the military with the rank of Major-General. A graduate of Bulgaria’s air force academy, he also holds a PhD in military sciences.
Deputy PM and Finance Minister – Gulub Donev
Twice appointed caretaker PM by Radev (August 2022-June 2023), he has also served as labour and social policies minister in the Ognyan Gerdjikov (2017) and Stefan Yanev caretaker cabinets (2021). When not in government, Donev has been has held senior positions in Radev’s presidential administrations, as chief of staff since 2023 and adviser on social policy before that. Holds master’s degrees in law and finance.
Deputy PM and Economy, Investments and Industry Minister – Alexander Pulev
Served as growth and innovation minister in the two Donev caretaker governments, as well as deputy transport minister in the second Yanev caretaker cabinet. Prior to that, he has worked for UniCredit, EBRD, Ernst & Young and General Electric. Holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Maine and an MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.
Deputy PM – Atanas Pekanov
Served as deputy PM for EU funds in the Donev and Yanev caretaker cabinets, and a member of Radev’s strategy documents council since it was created in 2019. An economist at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) and lecturer at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (Wirtschaftsuniversität Vienna). Holds an MSc degree from University College London and a PhD in macroeconomics from Wirtschaftsuniversität Vienna.
Deputy PM – Ivo Hristov
Member of European Parliament (2019-24), elected on the Bulgarian Socialist Party ticket, having served as Radev’s chief of staff at the presidency before that (2017-19). Has worked in media, as a reporter for Radio France Internationale-Bulgaria and Bulgarian National Television, as well as a number of other broadcast and print media. Translated a number of novels into Bulgarian. Holds a degree in law from Sofia University.
Interior Minister – Ivan Demerdzhiev
Served as deputy PM and interior minister in the Donev caretaker administrations, as well as deputy justice minister in the Yanev caretaker cabinets, before being promoted to justice minister in the second Yanev government. A member of the Plovdiv Bar Association, serving as its head in 2019-21, and managing partner in a law firm practicing commercial, civil and administrative law. Holds a master’s degree in law from Plovdiv University.
Defence Minister – Dimitar Stoyanov
Served as defence minister in the Donev caretaker admninistrations, as well as in Radev’s presidential administration since 2017, where he held the positions of chief secretary and defence secretary. A retired colonel, he was previously chief of staff of the Bulgarian Air Force and held other top positions in the Air Force, including as head of the Graf Ignatievo Air Force base. He is a graduate of Bulgaria’s air force and military academies.
Foreign Minister – Velislava Petrova-Chamova
Served as deputy foreign minister in the Donev caretaker administrations and Kiril Petkov cabinet that preceded it. Prior to that, a senior manager at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance during the Covid pandemic, and most recently, chief programme director at the Centre for Future Generations think-tank in Brussels. Holds a PhD in immunology from the University of Cambridge and a BSc in microbiology from University of Bristol.
Justice Minister – Nikolay Naydenov
Served as deputy labour and social policy minister in the Nikolay Denkov government. Has two decades of experience in the public sector, serving at different times as chief secretary of the anti-corruption and asset forfeiture commission and chief secretary of the Supreme Judicial Council. Holds master’s degrees in law and international relations from Sofia University.
Labour and Social Policy Minister – Natalia Efremova
Served as deputy labour minister in the Donev caretaker admnistrations, the Dimitar Glavchev caretaker cabinets (2024) and the Rossen Zhelyazkov government (2025-26). Previously held other senior positions at the ministry, which she joined in 2009, having also worked at the health ministry (2003-09) and the finance ministry (2000-03). Holds a degree in law from Sofia University and finance from Veliko Turnovo University.
Education and Science Minister – Georgi Valchev
Rector of Sofia University since 2023 and previously deputy rector for postgraduate academic activities (2015-23), as well as a professor in the university’s history and theory of culture faculty, which he was head of in 2011-19. Holds master’s degrees in history and philosophy from Sofia University and a PhD in cultural studies.
Health Minister – Katya Ivkova
Currently head of the ministry’s European co-ordination and international co-operation department, she has two decades of experience in global health policy and strategic health management, also serving as deputy health minister in 2023. Holds master’s degrees in public health and health management from Sofia Medical University and international relations from University of National and World Economy in Sofia.
Innovation and Digital Transformation Minister – Ivan Vassilev
Deputy mayor of Sofia for finance and healthcare in 2023-25, as well as simultaneously interim deputy mayor for public works during part of that period. Before that, he spent four years as a board member of Bulgarian entrepreneurial association Besco, where he was also policy and strategy director. Holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and master’s degree in finance from University of National and World Economy in Sofia.
Regional Development and Public Works Minister – Ivan Shishkov
Served as regional development minister in the Donev caretaker administrations, and prior to that as adviser and then deputy regional development minister in the Yanev caretaker cabinets. Chief architect of the Bankya (2002-08) and Triaditsa (2008-12) districts in Sofia. Holds a masters degree in architecture from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia.
Energy Minister – Iva Petrova
Appointed deputy energy in the second Yanev caretaker administration in September 2021, a position she has held since then through eight elected and caretaker cabinets. Prior to that, was a partner in an energy and utilities management consulting company. Before going into the private sector, she was director of investment projects at Bulgarian Energy Holding (2009-10). Holds a master’s degree in business administration from Sofia University.
Transport and Communications Minister – Georgi Peev
Director-general of Bulgarian Air Traffic Services Authority (BULATSA) since 2014, having joined the state company in 2022, representing Bulgaria in a number of international civil aviation bodies. Holds a master’s degree in aviation engineering from Sofia Technical University.
Agriculture and Food Minister – Plamen Abrovski
Elected member of Parliament in 2021 on the ticket of populist party ITN, he served as head of the agriculture parliamentary committee in the 46th and 47th National Assembly. Served as a member of Bulgaria’s permanent mission to the European Union in 2010-15, where he was Bulgaria’s chief negotiator on common agricultural policy legislative package for 2014-20. Holds a master’s degree in law from Southwestern University in Blagoevgrad.
Environment and Waters Minister – Rositsa Karamfilova-Blagova
Served as environment minister in the Donev caretaker administrations, after which she was environment adviser in the Radev presidential administration until 2025, when she was appointed head of the Environment Agency, a position she previously held in 2021-22. Holds a master’s degree in industrial management and PhD in waste management from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy in Sofia.
Minister of Culture – Evtim Miloshev
Served as tourism minister in the two Dimitar Glavchev caretaker administrations (2024-25). Prolific producer of reality TV game and entertainment shows, as well as TV series. Co-founder of the Bulgarian association of film and TV producers, serving on its board of directors since its inception in 2009, including as chairperson in 2012-18. Holds a master’s degree in geodesy from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy in Sofia.
Minister of Tourism – Ilin Dimitrov
Served as tourism minister in the Donev caretaker administrations, as well as head of the parliamentary tourism committee in the 47th National Assembly, to which he was elected on the ticket of centrist WCC party. Tourism entrepreneur and head of the Varna Tourism Chamber in 2020-2021. Holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Svishtov Business Academy and a PhD in tourism from Varna Economic University.
Minister of Youth and Sports – Encho Keryazov
Deputy mayor of Yambol since 2019, a former circus performer and acrobat, winner of numerous Bulgarian and international awards. Graduate of National Sports Academy in Sofia.
(Photos of ministers via government.bg. Top photo: Radev and his four deputy PMs. Photo: parliament.bg)
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