Rumen Georgiev Radev ( bg, Румен Георгиев Радев ; born 18 June 1963) is a Bulgarian politician and former
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
who is the current
president of Bulgaria
The president of the Republic of Bulgaria is the head of state of Bulgaria and the commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Army. The official residence of the president is at Boyana Residence, Sofia. After the completion of the second round of votin ...
since 22 January 2017.
Radev previously served as higher commander of the
Bulgarian Air Force.
He won the
2016 presidential election, as an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate supported by the
Bulgarian Socialist Party, defeating
GERB
GERB ( bg, ГЕРБ, translation=coat of arms, acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) is a conservative, Populism, populist List of political parties in Bulgaria, political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria betwee ...
candidate
Tsetska Tsacheva
Tsetska Tsacheva Dangovska ( bg, Цецка Цачева Данговска; born 24 May 1958) is a Bulgarian politician from GERB and a jurist. She was the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria from 4 May 2017 to 5 April 2019. She had p ...
in the second round.
He won a second consecutive term in the
2021 election, with 66% of the vote in the second round.
Biography
Radev was born on 18 June 1963 in
Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria
Dimitrovgrad ( bg, Димитровград ) is a town in Haskovo Province, Bulgaria. It is along the Maritsa River in the Thrace region, close to the provincial capital, Haskovo. Dimitrovgrad is the administrative centre of Dimitrovgrad Mu ...
. His family is from
Slavyanovo in the
Haskovo
Haskovo ( bg, Хасково ) is a city in the region of Northern Thrace in southern Bulgaria and the administrative centre of the Haskovo Province, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. According to Operative Program Regional Develo ...
region. In 1982 he graduated from the Mathematical School in Haskovo with a gold medal. He graduated from the Georgi Benkovski Bulgarian Air Force University in 1987 as the top graduate. In 1992, he graduated from the US Air Force
Squadron Officer School at Maxwell AFB. From 1994 to 1996, he studied at the
Rakovski Defence and Staff College
The Georgi Rakovski Military Academy ( bg, Военна академия „Георги Стойков Раковски“), based in Sofia, is Bulgaria's oldest military institution of higher education. It is named after Bulgarian revolutionary ...
, where he was also the top graduate. He holds a Doctor of Military Sciences degree in the field of improvement of tactical training of flight crews and simulation of air combat.
In 2003 he graduated from
Air War College
The Air War College (AWC) is the senior Professional Military Education (PME) school of the U.S. Air Force. A part of the United States Air Force's Air University, AWC emphasizes the employment of air, space, and cyberspace in joint operation ...
or
Air University at
Maxwell AFB
Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. O ...
in the United States with a Master of Strategic Studies with honors.
[((bg)) Major General Rumen Radev](_blank)
// Department of Defence. Retrieved 11 August 2016
Presidency
In August 2016, the opposition
Bulgarian Socialist Party and the
Alternative for Bulgarian Revival
The Alternative for Bulgarian Revival ( bg, Алтернатива за българско възраждане, Alternativa za balgarsko vazrazhdane, АБВ) is a centre-left political party in Bulgaria. ''ABV'', the romanized party's initials in ...
(ABR) officially nominated Radev as a candidate for the
November 2016 presidential election.
[BSP elected Gen. Radev as a presidential candidate with 99 votes](_blank)
Bulgarian National Radio, Radio "Sofia", 17 August 2016 In the same month, ABR withdrew its presidential nomination of General Radev in favour of
Ivaylo Kalfin.
In the first round of the election, conducted on 6 November 2016, Radev came first with 25.44% of the vote. He faced
GERB
GERB ( bg, ГЕРБ, translation=coat of arms, acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) is a conservative, Populism, populist List of political parties in Bulgaria, political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria betwee ...
candidate
Tsetska Tsacheva
Tsetska Tsacheva Dangovska ( bg, Цецка Цачева Данговска; born 24 May 1958) is a Bulgarian politician from GERB and a jurist. She was the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria from 4 May 2017 to 5 April 2019. She had p ...
in the runoff the following Sunday 13 November. He defeated her, winning 59.37% of the popular vote.
On 1 February 2021, he officially announced that he and Iliana Yotova would run for a second term. The presidential election happened on 14 November 2021. Prior to the election, several parties declared their support for Radev, including
ITN,
PP and
BSPzB. Radev received 1,322,385 votes in the first round, alongside his running partner
Iliana Yotova, 49.42% of the vote. This led to a second round run-off with the
GERB
GERB ( bg, ГЕРБ, translation=coat of arms, acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) is a conservative, Populism, populist List of political parties in Bulgaria, political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria betwee ...
-supported candidate
Anastas Gerdzhikov
Anastas Georgiev Gerdzhikov ( bg, Анастас Георгиев Герджиков; born 28 February 1963) is an associate professor of ancient literature and professor of ancient and medieval literature.
Anastas Gerdzhikov's research interest ...
, who got 22.83% of the vote in the first round.
Radev won in the run-off, with 66.7% of the vote, starting his second term as president.
Rivalry with Prime Minister Borisov
![Opening ceremony (38929654984)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Opening_ceremony_%2838929654984%29.jpg)
Since his election into office, Radev has frequently criticised Bulgarian Prime Minister
Boyko Borisov, whom Radev views as permitting
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
through a 'reckless leadership style', as well as attempting to strangle his political opposition. This led Radev to frequently
veto
A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a president or monarch vetoes a bill to stop it from becoming law. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's constitution. Veto ...
legislative proposals submitted by Borisov's
GERB
GERB ( bg, ГЕРБ, translation=coat of arms, acronym for Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) is a conservative, Populism, populist List of political parties in Bulgaria, political party which was the ruling party of Bulgaria betwee ...
party to
Bulgarian Parliament
The National Assembly ( bg, Народно събрание, Narodno sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria.
The National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution.
Ordi ...
, issuing a total of 19 vetoes in this first two and a half years of his presidency. Borisov, on the other hand, often accused Radev of 'sabotaging the government's work', as well as supporting the opposition
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
during campaign periods.
In his 2019
New Year
New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...
's address to the Bulgarian People, broadcast on almost all Bulgarian TV channels, Radev stated that he believed that
Borisov's Government had failed in addressing
corruption
Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...
, placed the country in
economic stagnation
Economic stagnation is a prolonged period of slow economic growth (traditionally measured in terms of the GDP growth), usually accompanied by high unemployment. Under some definitions, "slow" means significantly slower than potential growth as e ...
with price increases and low wages, undermined the fairness of
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...
, as well as 'retreated' from law and justice.
F-16 deal veto
![Reuven Rivlin greeting Roman Radev, March 2018 (8651)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Reuven_Rivlin_greeting_Roman_Radev%2C_March_2018_%288651%29.jpg)
In June 2019, Radev vetoed a major government contract for the acquisition of several
F-16 Fighting Falcons
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
from the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
at a cost of around 2bln
lev
Lev may refer to:
Common uses
*Bulgarian lev, the currency of Bulgaria
*an abbreviation for Leviticus, the third book of the Hebrew Bible and the Torah
People and fictional characters
*Lev (given name)
*Lev (surname)
Places
*Lev, Azerbaijan, a ...
. Radev strongly criticised the deal, accusing the government of
authoritarianism
Authoritarianism is a political system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political ''status quo'', and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voti ...
and stated that he believed it had agreed to downgrades in the jets'
avionics
Avionics (a blend of ''aviation'' and ''electronics'') are the electronic systems used on aircraft. Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems, and the hundreds of systems that are fit ...
and armament, in order to get a lower purchasing price, which he also deemed too high for what they are worth. He added, that as a former
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
and airforce commander, he didn't believe that the deal was in Bulgaria's best interests. The pro-government majority in Bulgaria's national assembly overruled Radev's veto and the deal was nonetheless concluded.
Rejection of Geshev as General Prosecutor
In November 2019, Radev refused to sign the decree appointing
Ivan Geshev to the post of Chief Public Prosecutor of Bulgaria, following the latter's election to the post by Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council. He did not officially declare the motive for his refusal in written form, instead deciding to explain it personally to the media. Radev remarked that Geshev was the only candidate for the post and opined that the single-candidate nature of his election was supported by Borisov's government. He expressed the opinion that Geshev's candidacy had been supported only by government-controlled institutions and not by civic ones, which in his eyes led to a lack of public confidence in the institution. The Supreme Judicial Council refused to revise their decision and voted in favour of Geshev a second time, which triggered a constitutional requirement for Radev as president to sign the decree. Stating that he would refuse to violate the constitution, Radev did so following a meeting with Geshev, but called for changes to Bulgaria's constitution.
Wiretapping scandal
The relations between Radev and the newly appointed general prosecutor quickly soured, as Geshev released what he stated was a
wiretap
Telephone tapping (also wire tapping or wiretapping in American English) is the monitoring of telephone and Internet-based conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitorin ...
of Radev discussing his involvement in alleged criminal activities. Geshev further appealed to the
Constitutional Court of Bulgaria
The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria is in charge of reviewing the constitutionality of laws and statutes brought before it, as well as the compliance of these laws with international treaties that the Government has signed. The 12 members of the C ...
to have Radev's
legal immunity
Legal immunity, or immunity from prosecution, is a legal status wherein an individual or entity cannot be held liable for a violation of the law, in order to facilitate societal aims that outweigh the value of imposing liability in such cases. Su ...
revoked. The general prosecutor's actions backfired in the eyes of the Bulgarian people and were widely viewed as an attempt to suppress and censor the president – either as 'revenge' for the president's initial veto of Geshev's appointment, or as a preparation for a move to remove Radev from his post as president. In response, Radev accused Geshev's prosecution of being controlled by Borisov's government, whom he accused of using both the prosecution, the secret services and the
National Police Service
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
to crush dissent.
Borisov swore that he had not ordered Radev to be wiretapped, but Radev doubled down – noting that the agency responsible for wiretapping in Bulgaria, the
State Agency for National Security, was directly responsible to the government and the prime minister. He further questioned the motives as to why it appeared to him as though the general prosecutor "saw crime and corruption in everything, except for the council of ministers".
Declaration of no confidence
On 4 February 2020, Radev announced that he had formally withdrawn
confidence
Confidence is a state of being clear-headed either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Confidence comes from a Latin word 'fidere' which means "to trust"; therefore, having ...
in Borisov's government. He pointed out that there was, in his opinion, a strong crisis in the governance of all levels, a lack of will to reform and fight corruption, and a state of morally-questionable lawlessness in the country. Borisov accused Radev of trying to "take over" the country and stated that his government did not depend on Radev for confidence, adding that he believed the presidency to be a useless post, holding only 'symbolic councils', which he asserted never decided anything.
COVID-19 response and the Ukrainian conflict
The continuing conflict between the prior PM and the now president Radev
After the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria
The COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have spread to Bulgaria when the country's first ca ...
, Radev and Borisov's government initially appeared to thaw their relations for the sake of national unity during a time of crisis. This détente, however, was not to last – the two entered into another conflict shortly thereafter, with Radev partially vetoing a law passed by the Bulgarian government imposing additional measures in relation to the coronavirus pandemic. Radev objected to a paragraph criminalizing the spread of "fake news" with a fine of up to 5,000 euros. Surprisingly, Radev also vetoed a paragraph added on the insistence of the
Bulgarian Socialist Party, which was supposed to impose
price controls
Price controls are restrictions set in place and enforced by governments, on the prices that can be charged for goods and services in a market. The intent behind implementing such controls can stem from the desire to maintain affordability of good ...
on essential goods. The veto sparked anger in Borisov, who accused Radev of populism and political opportunism. Despite this, Borisov ordered his parliamentary group to accept the veto on the two paragraphs – removing both the fake news fine and the socialist-added price control paragraphs from the final version of the law. The amended bill, however, still featured a paragraph which obligated telecom providers to track and store their user's data for up to 6 months and provide it upon request of the authorities, with the stated goal of tracking the movements of quarantined citizens.
The two continued to clash over the coming days, with Radev frequently criticising the government for its handling of the state of emergency and accusing it of
quote mining
Quoting out of context (sometimes referred to as contextomy or quote mining) is an informal fallacy in which a passage is removed from its surrounding matter in such a way as to distort its intended meaning. Contextomies may be either intentional o ...
the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
for political gains. In reply, Borisov accused Radev of sabotaging the state of emergency and compared Radev to a "dirty old hag of a mother-in-law, the nasty kind", expressing bewilderment at "how Radev was able to make
oliticalinflammatory statements on the day, in which his own
adev'sfather had passed away". Radev concluded, however, that the conflict was "only in Borisov's head", stating that he had never called for the state of the emergency to be lifted and merely disagreed with the government's handling of it. In October 2020, Radev attended an investment forum in
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
, but his visit was cut short after it was revealed that he had been exposed to a COVID-19 positive individual while in Bulgaria. Some sources alleged that Radev had been aware of that prior to travelling, while the president accused political opponents of deliberately orchestrating a campaign against him in order to tarnish his image, displaying a negative PCR test he had obtained prior to his official trip.
Borisov photo scandal and drone controversy
In June 2020, photographs emerged that purported to show what appeared to be Prime Minister Borisov lying half-naked on a bed, next to a nightstand featuring a handgun and stacks of
euro
The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
banknotes. Borisov confirmed that the room in which the photos were taken was his, but denied the gun and money, stating that the images could have been manipulated. Borisov accused President Radev of flying a
consumer drone into his residence in order to take the pictures. He also accused former Ombudswoman
Maya Manolova, TV star
Slavi Trifonov
Stanislav Todorov Trifonov ( bg, Станислав Тодоров Трифонов; born 18 October 1966), known as Slavi Trifonov ( bg, Слави Трифонов), is a Bulgarian TV host, musician and politician. Trifonov is mainly active i ...
and his own former second in command
Tsvetan Tsvetanov (who had just left and condemned the ruling party) of involvement in a plot to take photos of him while he was sleeping in a "KGB-Style"
kompromat
(russian: links=no, компромат, short for "compromising material") is damaging information about a politician, a businessperson, or other public figure, which may be used to create negative publicity, as well as for blackmail, often to ...
operation. Radev condemned the leaks and called it an "insane" invasion of the prime minister's privacy. He added that he owns a drone, but that the accusation that he personally piloted it into the prime minister's residence to take pictures was part of Borisov's "fantasy and paranoia".
Other
= Arrest of advisors and anti-government protesters
=
In July 2020, agents of Chief Prosecutor Geshev entered the presidency and detained several of the president's advisors. This, alongside the photo scandal and an incident on a Burgas beach significantly impacted the credibility of Borisov's government, leading to the beginning of
large-scale anti-government protests, which Radev openly supported. Radev made a televised address to the nation, in which he demanded that both the entire government and the chief prosecutor resign, openly calling them "
mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
".
Foreign policy
![Vladimir Putin and Rumen Radev (2018-05-22) 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Vladimir_Putin_and_Rumen_Radev_%282018-05-22%29_03.jpg)
In February 2017, Radev condemned and called for an end to the
EU sanctions against Russia, while at the same time describing the
Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War.
The events in Kyiv th ...
as a "violation of international law".
On 17 March 2017, Radev condemned as 'absolutely unacceptable' what he described as a Turkish intervention in Bulgaria's
2017 parliamentary election after the Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria was found to have appeared in a campaign clip for one of Bulgaria's political parties and after Turkish Social Affairs minister was found to have agitated and offer incentives for
Bulgarian Turks in Turkey
The Bulgarian Turks in Turkey represent a community of Bulgarian Turks, who immigrated over the years from Bulgaria to Turkey. They are notable in Turkey for being descendants of Balkan Turks who had to escape persecution. and moreover, part of ...
to cross the border in an organized voting campaign and vote for the same party. Radev stated that he had referred the matter to the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. He met with Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
several months later in July, following which he described Turkey as an "important neighbour, partner and ally", while at the same time stating that this status hinged on Turkey's respect for Bulgaria's "internal political process, regarding Bulgaria's political parties and electoral system". He also became the only EU
head of state
A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...
to attend Erdogan's inauguration, stating that his mandate was not given to him by either the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
or the Bulgarian Government, but by the Bulgarian people.
On 24 January 2018, Radev condemned the
Turkish invasion of northern Syria aimed at ousting U.S.-backed
Syrian Kurds from the enclave of
Afrin, and insisted that the European Union should intervene to stop it.
![Rumen Radev and Desislava Radeva in Musée d'Orsay](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Rumen_Radev_and_Desislava_Radeva_in_Mus%C3%A9e_d%27Orsay.jpg)
In April 2018, he criticised the
2018 missile strikes against Syria, instead calling for "less weapons and more dialogue".
In February 2019, Radev condemned the
Bulgarian Government
The Council of Ministers ( bg, Министерски съвет, ''Ministerski savet'') is the main authority of the executive power in the Republic of Bulgaria. It consists of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria and all the specialized ministers ...
's recognition of Venezuelan opposition leader
Juan Guaidó
Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician, a former member of the Social democracy, social-democratic Popular Will party, and federal deputy to the National Assembly (Venezuela), National Assembly representing ...
as interim
president of Venezuela
The president of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de Venezuela), officially known as the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, Presidente de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is the head of state and head of government in Ven ...
during the
2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis, adding that he believed the government had overstepped its authority in recognizing the opposition leader as interim president. Radev further criticised the EU's recognition of Guaido, urging both the country and the EU to remain neutral and refrain from recognizing Guaido, as he viewed such recognition as imposing an
ultimatum
An ultimatum (; ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance (open loop). An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series o ...
, which he deemed would only aggravate the crisis in Venezuela.
In April 2022, Radev broke ranks with the
Petkov Government
The Petkov Government, known as the Four-party coalition cabinet, was the ninety-sixth cabinet of Bulgaria. Chaired by prime minister Kiril Petkov, it was approved by the National Assembly on 13 December 2021 after the government formation as a ...
, declaring that he is fully opposed to Bulgaria providing weapons to Ukraine in relation to
Russia's invasion of the latter, characterizing it as a step towards the direct involvement of Bulgaria in the conflict and seeing it as contrary to the pursuit of a peaceful solution.
Approval ratings
Radev has enjoyed positive approval ratings for the vast majority of his presidency. Having been elected with around 60% of the vote in the
autumn 2016 election, he managed to keep that figure as his approval rating through to 2018.
His approval then rose to 67% by May 2018, before falling to around 56% by autumn 2019. It is noteworthy, however, that even after this fall in his popularity, he was still considered the most popular and approved of Bulgarian politician, as well as one of the only two Bulgarian politicians (the other being
Maya Manolova) with a higher percentage of approval than disapproval.
By April 2020, Radev's approval ratings stood at about 49%. Radev began his second term as president with an approval rating of 58.5%, according to a
Gallup poll
Gallup, Inc. is an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Founded by George Gallup in 1935, the company became known for its public opinion polls conducted worldwide. Starting in the 1980s, Gallup transitioned its bu ...
.
Family and personal life
Radev joined 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 ...
in the 1980s. He later stated that his primary reason for joining the party had been so that he would be deployed to fly in a
supersonic jet, but also added that he was not ashamed of his past and was proud of the things he did. He left the party in 1990, when a newly enacted law forbade members of the country's armed forces from being members of political parties. He has not been a member of any political parties since and his candidacy in the 2016 elections was supported by an independent initiative committee affiliated with the
Bulgarian Socialist Party, rather than by a formal nomination by any party.
Radev has two children from his first marriage to Ginka Radeva, which ended in a divorce in 2014: a daughter Darina, born in 2001 and a son Georgi, born in 2003. He later married
Desislava Gencheva, who was previously married to the BSP MP
Georgi Svilenski. Apart from
Bulgarian
Bulgarian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria
* Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group
* Bulgarian language, a Slavic language
* Bulgarian alphabet
* A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria
* Bul ...
, Radev is also fluent in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
,
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
**Ge ...
and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
. Radev's father died on 6 April 2020.
Military career
* 1987 – 1989: Junior pilot in the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment –
Ravnets
* 1989 – 1992: Unit deputy commander at the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets
* 1992 – 1997: Unit commander at the 15th Fighter Aviation Regiment – Ravnets
* 1997 – 1999: MiG-29 squadron commander at the Fifth Fighter Airbase – Ravnets
* 1999 – 2000: Deputy commander for flight preparation at the Fifth Fighter Airbase – Ravnets
* 2000: Deputy commander for flight training at the Third Fighter Airbase –
Graf Ignatievo
Graf Ignatievo (, ) is a village in Maritsa Municipality, southern Bulgaria. As of 2006 it has 2015 inhabitants. The village is named after a Russian diplomat- Count Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev, who played an important role as an ambassador of Russ ...
* 2000 – Study of the Air defence of the Republic of Bulgaria – NATO, Brussels
* 2000 – 2002: Chief of Staff of the Third Fighter Airbase – Graf Ignatievo
* 2002 – 2004: Chief of Staff of the Third Fighter Airbase – Graf Ignatievo
* 2004 – 2009: Commander of the Third Fighter Airbase – Graf Ignatievo
* 2009 – 2014: Bulgarian Air Force deputy commander
* 2014 – 2017: Bulgarian Air Force commander
Flight information
* Pilot 1st class.
* Flight experience of
L-29,
L-39 trainers and
MiG-15UTI
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one ...
,
MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 w ...
,
MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-21; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nickna ...
,
MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the Mi ...
fighter jets.
* Familiarization flights of the
F-15
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's ...
,
F-16
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...
,
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...
,
Eurofighter Typhoon
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...
, SAAB
Gripen
The Saab JAS 39 Gripen (; English: ''griffin'') is a light single-engine multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by the Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab AB. The Gripen has a delta wing and canard configuration with relaxed stabilit ...
,
Dassault Rafale
The Dassault Rafale (, literally meaning "gust of wind", and "burst of fire" in a more military sense) is a French twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter aircraft designed and built by Dassault Aviation. Equipped with a wide ran ...
.
* Flown over 1400 hours.
* In 2014, he organized aviation show "This we are!" and personally performed the "
Bell
A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inter ...
" and "
Pugachev's Cobra
In aerobatics, the cobra maneuver (or just the ''cobra''), also called ''dynamic deceleration'', among other names (see Etymology), is a dramatic and demanding maneuver in which an airplane flying at a moderate speed abruptly raises its nose mom ...
" manoeuvres on a MiG-29.
Military ranks
* 1987 – Lieutenant
* 1989 – Senior lieutenant
* 1994 – Captain
* 1997 – Major
* 1999 – Lieutenant colonel
* 2002 – Colonel
* 2007 – Brigadier general
* 2014 – Major general
* 2017 – General (Commander-In-Chief)
Awards
Rumen Radev was awarded numerous medals and prizes, including the sign "For loyal service under the flags" – III degree, and Honorary sign of the Ministry of Defence "Saint George" – II degree.
Honours
National honours
* : Grand Master of the
Order of Stara Planina
Orders, decorations and medals of Bulgaria are regulated by the law on the Orders and Medals of the Republic of Bulgaria of 29 May 2003.
The National Military History Museum of Bulgaria in Sofia currently has over 150 Bulgarian Orders in the coll ...
![2014 International Honor Roll Induction 141203-F-EX201-014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/2014_International_Honor_Roll_Induction_141203-F-EX201-014.jpg)
* : Grand Master of the
Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius The Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius is an award conferred by the Republic of Bulgaria.
History
It has had three incarnations :
* first on 18 May 1909 by the Kingdom of Bulgaria,
* second on 13 December 1950 by the People's Republic of Bulga ...
* : Grand Master of the
Order of Civil Merit (Bulgaria)
The Order of Civil Merit was an Order of Merit of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Established in 1891, it had six classes.
History
The Bulgarian Order of Cvil Merit was established on either 2nd or the 14th August 1891 by then Prince Ferdinand, and w ...
* : Grand Master of the
Order of Military Merit (Bulgaria)
The Order of Military Merit ( bg, Орден за Военна Заслуга) is a Bulgarian order during the Kingdom of Bulgaria and the Republic of Bulgaria. It is the third highest order in the Republic of Bulgaria along with the Order of Civi ...
* : Grand Master of the Order of the Madara Horseman
Foreign honours
* : Grand cross of the
Order of the Redeemer
The Order of the Redeemer ( el, Τάγμα του Σωτήρος, translit=Tágma tou Sotíros), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the ...
(2017)
* : Companions of Honour of the
National Order of Merit (5 February 2018)
*:
** Grand Cross of the
Order of Aviz
The Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz ( pt, Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis, ), previously to 1910 ''Royal Military Order of Saint Benedict of Aviz'' ( pt, Real Ordem Militar de São Bento de Avis), previously to 1789 ''Knights'' (of ...
(30 January 2019)
** Grand Collar of the
Order of Prince Henry
The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of ...
(12 April 2022)
*: Collar of the
Order pro Merito Melitensi (13 December 2019)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radev, Rumen
Radev, Rumen
Air War College alumni
Bulgarian Air Force personnel
Bulgarian aviators
Bulgarian generals
Presidents of Bulgaria
Living people
People from Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria
Recipients of the Order pro Merito Melitensi
Squadron Officer School alumni
20th-century Bulgarian military personnel
21st-century Bulgarian military personnel