Vezhdi Letif Rashidov ( bg, Вежди Летиф Рашидов, tr, Vecdi Latif Raşidoğlu; born 14 December 1951) 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 Macedon ...

n duffer sculptor,

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 for ...

politician and was a Minister of Culture of Bulgaria (2009–2013; 2014–2017) who is the

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the 48th

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

from 2022. Rashidov was born in Dimitrovgrad to ethnic Turkish parents; however, he moved to

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 ...

with his parents at age two. His mother Kadrie Lyatifova, a singer of

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 ...

and

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

folk songs, died in a car crash when he was in primary school. His father Lyatif Rashidov was a miner in Madan and so was his brother Ruzhdi who died at 36 of cancer. Until seventh grade, Rashidov lived and studied at an orphanage in Studen Kladenets near

Kardzhali Kardzhali ( bg, Кърджали , ''Kărdžali''; tr, Kırcaali; gr, Κάρτζαλι, ''Kártzali''), sometimes spelt Kardžali or Kurdzhali, is a town in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, centre of Kardzhali Municipality and Kardzhali Provi ...

. Rashidov then studied mining electrics and mechanics in Madan. He graduated from the

National Academy of Arts The National Academy of Arts ( bg, Национална художествена академия) is an institution of higher education in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned school of arts in the country. History The National ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and 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. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

in 1978. As a sculptor, Rashidov has authored statuettes for a number of prominent prizes, as well as many large-scale works. Despite being an ethnic Turk, Rashidov as a prominent social figure has been an outspoken critic of the

Movement for Rights and Freedoms The Movement for Rights and Freedoms ( bg, Движение за права и свободи ''Dvizhenie za prava i svobodi'', ДПС, DPS; tr, Hak ve Özgürlükler Hareketi, HÖH) is a centrist political party in Bulgaria with a support base ...

. He participated in the

2009 Bulgarian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on 5 July 2009. With 40% of the vote, the decisive winner of the elections was the established in 2006 personalistic party of Boyko Borisov, GERB. The Socialist Party, in power before the election, w ...

as GERB's voting list leader and proportional candidate in

Kardzhali Province Kardzhali Province ( bg, Област Кърджали, Oblast Kărdžali, tr, Kırcaali ili) is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek regional units of Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros to the south and east. It is 320 ...

and became the first non-Movement for Rights and Freedoms candidate in many years to be elected to parliament from that constituency. When GERB won the election and formed a government in 2009, Rashidov was the party's Minister of Culture. In 2014, when GERB formed a coalition government, Rashidov was for the second time the party's Minister of Culture. Rashidov is married and has a child. In 2001, he was briefly arrested for assaulting a policeman.

References

1951 births Living people Bulgarian sculptors Bulgarian people of Turkish descent People from Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria Government ministers of Bulgaria Ministers of Culture of Bulgaria 20th-century Bulgarian male artists 21st-century Bulgarian male artists 20th-century sculptors 21st-century sculptors 21st-century Bulgarian politicians Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) Chairpersons of the National Assembly of Bulgaria {{Bulgaria-sculptor-stub