Yane Yanev ( bg, Яне Янев, born 22 April 1971) is a Bulgarian politician, leader of the center-right opposition party

Order, Law and Justice Order, Law and Justice ( bg, Ред, законност и справедливост, Red, zakonnost i spravedlivost, abbreviated as ''RZS'') was a conservative political party in Bulgaria. Its main focus is on fighting crime and corruption. It ...

and a member of the Bulgarian National Assembly. Known as an "anti-corruption hawk" that has brought to light many political scandals, Yanev is one of the most famous political players to emerge in Bulgaria in the past decade. His stated political mission is the adoption of a new constitution, to replace the one adopted in the early 1990s with the fall of the former communist regime. Yanev has stated that he believes only such a "far-reaching and radical change" will allow Bulgaria to end the period of transition from communism to a law-abiding, democratic society. Following repeated threats concerning his life and health 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 ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i team has assumed twenty-four-hour security over the leader of RZS Yane Yanev, the press center of the party declared.

Early life

Yanev was born in

Sandanski Sandanski ( bg, Сандански ; el, Σαντάνσκι, formerly known as Sveti Vrach, bg, Свети Врач, until 1947) is a town and a recreation centre in south-western Bulgaria, part of Blagoevgrad Province. Named after the Bulga ...

, a town in southwestern Bulgaria known for its agreeable climate and recreational resorts. He is son to Georgi Yanev and grandson to Yane Yanev (in whose honor he was named), both known as resistance figures to the communist regime. His grandfather served as mayor of the village Malak Tzalin for 11 years. Yanev attended the local school in Sandanski and in 1990 entered the

Agricultural University of Plovdiv The Agricultural University of Plovdiv is a university in Plovdiv, Bulgaria History The Agricultural University of Plovdiv was founded in 1945 in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It has strengthened its positions as a national centre of agricultu ...

, from which he matriculated with a degree in Agro-Engineering in 1994. He also pursued a master's degree in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...

and

Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

from the

University of Plovdiv A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in 1992 to 1995. During his student days he was active in student politics and was a member of the Students National Organization (Independent).

Political involvement

Coming from a family long involved in agrarian politics, in his third year of university Yanev became a member of the National Alliance – Bulgarian Agricultural People's Union, and the chairman of its advisory board to the parliamentary group. He rose to prominence within the party and by the time

Ivan Kostov Ivan Yordanov Kostov ( bg, Иван Йорданов Костов ) (born 23 December 1949, in Sofia) was the 47th Prime Minister of Bulgaria in office from May 1997 to July 2001 and leader of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) between Dec ...

became

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 ...

in 1997, he was a sought-after figure. After declining offers of positions in government, Yanev found himself in a hostile political environment that forced his resignation from politics. He then worked as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the canned food and beverage company Kustendilski Plod. In 2000 he returned to political involvement through the Agricultural People's Union and became the party chairman. He rose to national prominence in the early years of the decade by exposing to the public the fact the former

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

had abused his powers as Prime Minister (2001–2005) by privatizing state property that was formerly used by his family before the overthrow of the monarchy in 1946. Yanev also investigated abuses under the King's Minister of Finance Milen Velchev. Yanev oversaw the transformation of the party in 2005 to

, maintaining the position of Secretary General in charge of overall organization, whilst the titular chairman position was given to former constitutional judge

Georgi Markov Georgi Ivanov Markov ( bg, Георги Иванов Марков ; 1 March 1929 – 11 September 1978) was a Bulgarian dissident writer. He originally worked as a novelist, screenwriter and playwright in his native country, the People's Repub ...

. Following a failure to make significant electoral gains in the 2006 presidential elections, Markov resigned his position and Yanev unified the two posts under himself as chairman.

Member of Parliament

In June 2005 Yanev was elected as a member of the 40th National Assembly from the region of

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 centre ...

as part of the Union of Democratic Forces, and was a member of the committees on Agriculture and Forests, and Environment and Water. In July 2009 Yanev retained his position in the 41st National Assembly. He is currently Chairman of the Bulgaria-Israel Friendship Committee. From July to December 2009, he also served as Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption, Conflict of Interests and Parliamentary Ethics Committee, a member of the Control Committee of the State Agency for National Security, and a member of the Advisory Board on National Security to the President of the Republic.

Personal life

Yanev announced his plans to be married by the end of 2010 during a live television interview on the popular talk show " Ivan & Andrei"."Иван и Андрей", NovaTV, 12.03.10 ("Ivan & Andrei", on NovaTV, March 12th, 2010)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yanev, Yane 1971 births Living people Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) Bulgarian conservatives People from Sandanski Macedonian Bulgarians