Rosen Asenov Plevneliev ( bg, Росен Асенов Плевнелиев ; born 14 May 1964) is a
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
n politician who was the 4th
President of Bulgaria, holding the position from January 2012 to January 2017. He was the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works from July 2009 to September 2011 as part of the
cabinet of Boyko Borisov. In October 2011, Plevneliev was elected as President in a second round of voting; he was inaugurated on 18 January 2012.
Biography
Rosen Plevneliev was born in
Gotse Delchev
Georgi Nikolov Delchev ( Bulgarian/Macedonian: Георги/Ѓорѓи Николов Делчев; 4 February 1872 – 4 May 1903), known as Gotse Delchev or Goce Delčev (''Гоце Делчев'', originally spelled in older Bulgari ...
. His mother, Slavka Plevnelieva, was a teacher, and his father, Asen Plevneliev, was an activist of the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...
. He relocated to
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centr ...
alongside his parents when he turned 10 years old. His family descended from
Bulgarian refugees from southern
Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
who resettled from today's village of Petrousa in the municipality of
Prosotsani in
Drama regional unit,
Greek Macedonia
Macedonia (; el, Μακεδονία, Makedonía ) is a geographic and former administrative region of Greece, in the southern Balkans. Macedonia is the largest and Greek geographic region, with a population of 2.36 million in 2020. It i ...
, in 1913. The Plevneliev family name refers to the Bulgarian name of the village
Petroussa, Plevnya (Плевня, "barn").
Plevneliev studied at
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad ( bg, Благоевград ) is а town in Southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province. With a population of almost inhabitants, it is the economic and cultural centr ...
Mathematical and Natural Sciences High School, from which he graduated in 1982. In 1989 he graduated from the
Higher Mechanical-Electrotechnical Institute,
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. ...
, and in the same year become a fellow at the Institute for Microprocessing Technology,
Pravets. While studying in the university, he was a
Komsomol
The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...
member of the
Bulgarian Communist Party.
After the political changes, in 1990, Plevneliev started a private building company in Bulgaria. Among other projects, the company built the
Sofia Business Park.
He was married to the journalist
Yuliyana Plevnelieva from 2000 until their divorce in 2017; they had three sons: Filip, Asen and Pavel. One of the sons, Filip, died in 2015 at the age of 14. In addition to his native
Bulgarian, he speaks
English and
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
fluently.
Political career
Plevneliev became Minister of Regional Development and Public Works under Deputy Prime Minister
Simeon Djankov
Simeon Dyankov ( bg, Симеон Дянков, also Djankov; born July 13, 1970) is a Bulgarian economist. From 2009 to 2013, he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria in the government of Boyko Borisov. Prior to h ...
on 27 July 2009. Minister Plevneliev was one of a handful of"reformers"in the government, together with Deputy Prime Minister
Simeon Djankov
Simeon Dyankov ( bg, Симеон Дянков, also Djankov; born July 13, 1970) is a Bulgarian economist. From 2009 to 2013, he was the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Bulgaria in the government of Boyko Borisov. Prior to h ...
, the Minister of Economy
Traicho Traikov
Traycho Dimitrov Traykov ( bg, Трайчо Димитров Трайков) is a Bulgarian politician. He was a Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy from 2009 to 2012. In February 2012 he launched an examination of dams in the south of the cou ...
and the Minister of Environment Nona Karadzhova.
He was announced as
GERB
GERB ( bg, ГЕРБ, translation=coat of arms, acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) is a conservative, populist political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria between 2009 and 2021.
History
GERB is headed by fo ...
's candidate for
President of Bulgaria on 4 September 2011. He subsequently won the
presidential election in a second round held on 30 October 2011, with a majority of 52.58% of the vote. He defeated
Ivaylo Kalfin from the
Bulgarian Socialist Party
The Bulgarian Socialist Party ( bg, Българска социалистическа партия, translit=Balgarska sotsialisticheska partiya, BSP), also known as The Centenarian ( bg, Столетницата, links=no, translit=Stoletnitsat ...
in the second round. He took the presidential oath on 19 January 2012 and officially took over from his predecessor
Georgi Parvanov on 22 January 2012. Among his priorities are administrative reforms, energy efficiency and energy independence and removing of ambassadors of Bulgaria in foreign countries who have served as secret agents during the Communist regime.
As a result of the
2013 Bulgarian protests against monopoly and high electricity prices, the conservative government of Prime Minister
Boyko Borisov
Boyko Metodiev Borisov ( bg, Бойко Методиев Борисов, ; born 13 June 1959) is a Bulgarian politician who served as the prime minister of Bulgaria from 2009 to 2013, 2014 to 2017, and 2017 to 2021, making him Bulgaria's List of ...
tendered its resignation on 20 February 2013. President Plevneliev, acting in accordance with the constitution, offered a mandate to form a new government within the term of the current Parliament to
GERB
GERB ( bg, ГЕРБ, translation=coat of arms, acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) is a conservative, populist political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria between 2009 and 2021.
History
GERB is headed by fo ...
,
BSP and
DPS but after each of them declined, Plevneliev appointed a caretaker government on 13 March 2013, with
Marin Raykov, the Bulgarian ambassador in Paris as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
In 2013, due to the prolonged protests against the involvement of oligarchy in politics and the government, Plevneliev organised the 'Dialogue with citizens' initiative, which involved three debates, focused on market economy, the judicial system and media freedom.
Plevneliev advocates for closer relations between Bulgaria and the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, sli ...
.
Plevneliev has frequently criticized the immigration policy in the UK set by the former Prime Minister,
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...
.
By appointing the
Bliznashki Government on 6 August 2014, Plevneliev has become the first President of Bulgaria to appoint more than one
caretaker government
A caretaker government is a temporary ''ad hoc'' government that performs some governmental duties and functions in a country until a regular government is elected or formed. Depending on specific practice, it usually consists of either randomly se ...
.
Controversies
In January 2014 the tax authorities launched an investigation on President Rosen Plevneliev and his relatives. This action was perceived as politically motivated assault by the
Oresharski Government. Other reformist members of the
Boyko Borisov
Boyko Metodiev Borisov ( bg, Бойко Методиев Борисов, ; born 13 June 1959) is a Bulgarian politician who served as the prime minister of Bulgaria from 2009 to 2013, 2014 to 2017, and 2017 to 2021, making him Bulgaria's List of ...
government were also subject to such investigations.
Honours
Foreign honours
*:
Honor of Nation Order
*: Grand Collar of the
Order of the Southern Cross
Emperor Pedro I of Brazil founded the National Order of the Southern Cross ( pt, Ordem Nacional do Cruzeiro do Sul) as a Brazilian order of chivalry on 1 December 1822. The order aimed to commemorate the independence of Brazil (7 September 182 ...
*:
Grand Order of King Tomislav
The Grand Order of King Tomislav ( hr, Velered kralja Tomislava), or officially the Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star (''Velered kralja Tomislava s lentom i Velikom Danicom''), is the highest state order of Croatia. It ...
*: Grand Cross (Special Class) of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
*: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-rankin ...
*:
Order for Exceptional Merits
The Order for Exceptional Merits (Slovenian: ''Red za izredne zasluge''), is a state order of the Republic of Slovenia. It is awarded usually for exceptional work and services rendered in advancing the sovereignty, prosperity, renown and progress o ...
*: Companion of Honour of the
National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit.
Order of merit may also refer to:
* FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football
* PDC O ...
*:
Order of St. George
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Official site of the PresidencyVideo for President candidacy YouTube
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plevneliev, Rosen
1964 births
Bulgarian businesspeople
Bulgarian engineers
Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria
GERB politicians
Government ministers of Bulgaria
Grand Crosses Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Living people
Macedonian Bulgarians
People from Gotse Delchev
Presidents of Bulgaria
Technical University, Sofia alumni
Recipients of the Order of the Star of Romania
Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 1st class