Georgi Ivanov Atanasov ( bg, Георги Иванов Атанасов; 25 July 1933 – 31 March 2022) was a Bulgarian politician and a leading member of the

Bulgarian Communist Party The Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP; bg, Българска Комунистическа Партия (БКП), Balgarska komunisticheska partiya (BKP)) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 198 ...

who served as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

from 1986 to 1990. Atanasov supported the move to oust

Todor Zhivkov Todor Hristov Zhivkov ( bg, Тодор Христов Живков ; 7 September 1911 – 5 August 1998) was a Bulgarian communist statesman who served as the ''de facto'' leader of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (PRB) from 1954 until 1989 ...

as Chairman of the State Council, joining

Petar Mladenov Petar Toshev Mladenov ( bg, Петър Тошев Младенов; 22 August 1936 – 31 May 2000) was a Bulgarian communist diplomat and politician. He was the last leader of the Bulgarian People's Republic from 1989 to 1990, and briefly the ...

in leading the opposition. In November 1992, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for

embezzlement Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...

, although he was pardoned in 1994. Atanasov died at 31 March 2022, at the age of 88 in Sofia.

Honours and awards

Order of Georgi Dimitrov The Order of Georgi Dimitrov (or Order of Georgy Dimitrov, bg, Орден Георги Димитров) was the highest award of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. It was instituted on 17 June 1950 and awarded to Bulgarians and foreigners for out ...

Order of Karl Marx The Order of Karl Marx () was the most important order in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The award of the order also included a prize of 20,000 East German marks. The order was founded on May 5, 1953 on the occasion of Karl Marx's 135th ...

References

1933 births 2022 deaths People from Parvomay Bulgarian Communist Party politicians Prime Ministers of Bulgaria Sofia University alumni Bulgarian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Bulgaria Politicians convicted of embezzlement Bulgarian politicians convicted of crimes Heads of government who were later imprisoned Recipients of the Order of Georgi Dimitrov {{Bulgaria-politician-stub