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{{short description|President of Bulgaria from 1990 to 1997}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2014}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox president
{{Family name hatnote|Mitev|Zhelev|lang=Bulgarian}}
| name = Zhelyu Zhelev <br> Желю Желев
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Zhelyu-Zhelev-20090423.jpg
| name = Zhelyu Zhelev
| imagesize = 170px
| native_name = {{Nobold|Желю Желев}}
| order = 2nd ]
| native_name_lang = bg
| term_start = 1 August 1990
| image = Желю Желев.jpg
| term_end = 22 January 1997
| order = 1st
| vicepresident = ]<br>]
| office = President of Bulgaria
| primeminister = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>'']'' <small>(Acting)</small><br>]
| term_start = 22 January 1992
| predecessor = '']'' <small>(Acting)</small>
| term_end = 22 January 1997
| successor = ]
| primeminister = {{plainlist|
| order2 = Chairman of the ]
* ]
| term2 = 1989 - 1990
* ]
| predecessor2 = ''Office Established''
* ]
| successor2 = ]
* ]
|birth_name=Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1935|3|3}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| death_date = {{death date and age |2015|01|30|1935|3|3|df=y}}
| death_place = ], ]
| profession = ]
| religion =
| signature = Signature of Zhelyu Zhelev.png
| spouse = Maria Zheleva
| children = Yordanka <br /> Stanka
| party = ]
}} }}
| vicepresident = ]

| predecessor = Himself (as Chairman)
'''Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev''' ({{lang-bg|Желю Митев Желев}}; 3 March 1935 – 30 January 2015) was a ]n politician and former ] who served as the first non-Communist ] from 1990 to 1997. He was elected as President by the ], and was then elected directly by the people in 1992. He lost his party's nomination for his 1996 reelection campaign after losing a tough primary race to ]. He then largely stepped out of the spotlight of public life.
| successor = ]
| office2 = ]
| term_start2 = 1 August 1990
| term_end2 = 22 January 1992
| primeminister2 = {{plainlist|
* ]
* ]
* ]
}}
| deputy2 = ]
| predecessor2 = ]
| successor2 = Himself (as President)
| order3 = ]
| term_start3 = 7 December 1989
| term_end3 = 1 August 1990
| predecessor3 = Position established
| successor3 = ]
| birth_name = Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1935|3|3}}
| birth_place = ], ]
| death_date = {{death date and age |2015|01|30|1935|3|3|df=y}}
| death_place = ], Bulgaria
| resting_place = ]
| party = ] (1990–2015)
| otherparty = {{plainlist|
* ] (1989–1990)
* ] (1960–1965)
}}
| spouse = {{marriage|]|1961|2013|end=d.}}
| children = Mitko (died 80 days after birth)<br />Yordanka (died in 1993)<ref>{{cite news|title=Yordanka Zheleva|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1993/04/28/yordanka-zheleva/|access-date=28 November 2017|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=28 April 1993}}</ref><br />Stanka
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|philosopher}}
| signature = Signature of Zhelyu Zhelev.png
}}
{{Liberalism sidebar |Jim Crow}}
'''Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev''' ({{langx|bg|Желю Митев Желев}}; 3 March 1935 – 30 January 2015) was a ]n politician and former ] who served as the first democratically elected and non-Communist ], from 1990 to 1997. Zhelev was one of the most prominent figures of the 1989 Bulgarian Revolution, which ended the 35 year rule of President ].<ref>{{cite book |last= Detrez|first=Raymond |author-link=Raymond Detrez |title=Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria |chapter=Zhelev, Zhelyo (1935- ) |place=Lanham, Maryland; Toronto; Oxford |publisher= The Scarecrow Press, Inc. |edition= 2nd |year= 2006 |pages= 491–493}}</ref> A member of the ], he was elected as President by the ]. Two years later, he won Bulgaria's ]. He lost his party's nomination for his 1996 reelection campaign after losing a tough primary race to ].


== Biography == == Biography ==
===Early life===
Zhelyu Zhelev was born March 3, 1935 in Veselinovo village, ]. He graduated with a degree in ] from the ] in 1958, and later earned a ] in 1974.
Zhelev was born in 1935 into a modest village family in Veselinovo in north-eastern Bulgaria. He studied philosophy at Sofia University, graduating in 1958 and gaining a PhD in 1974, a remarkable achievement given that he was under a cloud as a dissident, having been expelled from the Communist Party in 1965. After his expulsion he endured years of “]”, or unemployment in communist terminology, which he spent in virtual internal exile in his wife’s village, scraping a living from odd jobs on farms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zhelyu Zhelev: Dissident who fought the dictatorship in Bulgaria before becoming its first democratically elected head of state |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/zhelyu-zhelev-dissident-who-fought-the-dictatorship-in-bulgaria-before-becoming-its-first-democratically-elected-head-of-state-10047438.html?amp |website=independent.co.uk|date=15 February 2015 }}</ref>


=== Dissident === === Dissident ===
Zhelev was a member of the ], but was expelled from it for political reasons in 1965. He was also expelled from ] the following year and was unemployed for six years since all employment in Bulgaria was state-regulated. Zhelev was a member of the ], but was expelled from it for political reasons in 1965. He was unemployed for six years since all employment in Bulgaria was state-regulated.<ref name="Lentz2014">{{cite book |author=Harris M. Lentz |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6HKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA117 |title=Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 |date=4 February 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-26490-2 |page=117}}</ref>


In 1982 he published his controversial work, "The Fascism" (Фашизмът). Three weeks after publication in 1982, the book was banned and removed from bookstores and libraries as it likened Bulgaria's socialist state to the country's fascist administration of World War II. In 1982, he published his controversial work, ''Fascism'' (Фашизмът).<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Желев |first1=Желю |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mXCGAAAAMAAJ |title=Фашизмът |last2=Желев |first2=Желю Митев |date=1990 |publisher=Social Science Monographs |isbn=978-0-88033-966-7 |language=bg}}</ref> Three weeks after the volume's publication in 1982, the book was removed from bookstores and libraries throughout the nation, as its description of the fascist states of Italy, Germany and Spain before, during, and after World War II made these regimes comparable to the Communist regimes in the Eastern Bloc.<ref name="KaidHoltz-Bacha2007">{{cite book|author1=Lynda Lee Kaid|author2=Christina Holtz-Bacha|title=Encyclopedia of Political Communication|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCd1AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT1015|date=21 December 2007|publisher=SAGE Publications|isbn=978-1-4522-6562-9|page=1015}}</ref>


=== SDS === === SDS ===
In 1988, just before the ], Zhelev founded the Ruse Committee, and in 1989 he became a founding member and chairman of the Club for Support of Openness and Reform (a time when many such democratic clubs were formed), which helped him to achieve the position of Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the ] (Bulgarian: СДС, SDS) party.<ref>{{cite web|title=Профил на Желю Желев в "omda|url=http://www.omda.bg/page.php?IDMenu=364&IDLang=1|publisher=omda.bg|accessdate=16 December 2014}}</ref> In 1988, just before the ], Zhelev founded the Ruse Committee, and in 1989 he became a founding member and chairman of the Club for Support of Openness and the Reform (a time when many such democratic clubs were formed), which helped him to achieve the position of Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the ] (Bulgarian: СДС, SDS) party.<ref>{{cite web|title=Профил на Желю Желев в "omda|url=http://www.omda.bg/page.php?IDMenu=364&IDLang=1|publisher=omda.bg|access-date=16 December 2014}}</ref><ref> ''Demokratsiya Newspaper'', 27 April 1990.</ref>


=== MP and President === === MP and President ===
Zhelev was elected MP in ] for the 7th Grand National Assembly; the Assembly's main goal was to create a new democratic ]. After the resignation of President ], the assembly elected Zhelev his successor on August 1, 1990. He thus became the first head of state in 44 years who was not either a Communist or ]. Zhelev was elected MP in ] for the 7th Grand National Assembly; the Assembly's main goal was to create a new democratic ]. After the resignation of President ], the assembly elected Zhelev his successor on 1 August 1990.<ref name="KaidHoltz-Bacha2007"/> He thus became the first head of state in 44 years who was not either a Communist or ].


=== 1992 presidential election === === 1992 presidential election ===
Under the new constitution adopted in July 1991, the president was to be elected directly by voters, for a maximum of two terms. The first such election was held in ]. Zhelev won in the runoff against ] (who was endorsed by the ]) with 52.8% of the votes. Zhelev became the first Bulgarian Head of State to be democratically elected directly by the electorate, serving his full five-year term until January 1997. Under the new constitution adopted in July 1991, the president was to be elected directly by voters, for a maximum of two terms. The first such election was held in ]. Zhelev led the field in the first round, held on 12 January. He then won in the runoff a week later against ] (who was endorsed by the ]) with 52.8% of the votes to become Bulgaria's first directly elected head of state. He immediately suspended his membership in the UDF. While the new constitution only barred him from serving in a leadership post with the party, he wanted to appear to be above politics. Since then, convention in Bulgaria calls for the president to not be a formal member of a political party during his term.


=== 1996 presidential election === === 1996 presidential election ===
Zhelev lost his party's nomination for the 1996 presidential race to ] who went on to win the next ]. Zhelev sought a second term in ], but lost the UDF nomination to eventual winner ].


=== Later political career === === Later political career ===
After his defeat in the 1996 UDF primaries and after the end of his presidency in 1997, Zhelev remained in politics, but on a much smaller scale. He became Honorary Chair of the ] and Honorary Chair of the ] and in 1997 went on to establish and preside over a foundation named after him. Zhelev was the initiator and president of the ], a union of former political leaders from ]. As part of the club he has voiced his support for Turkey's accession to the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Bulgaria Ex-President Zhelev: Turkey Should Be in EU Already|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/108748/Bulgaria+Ex-President+Zhelev%3A+Turkey+Should+Be+in+EU+Already|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency|accessdate=17 March 2014}}</ref> After his defeat in the 1996 UDF primaries and after the end of his presidency in 1997, Zhelev remained in politics, but on a much smaller scale. He became Honorary Chair of the ] and Honorary Chair of the ] and in 1997 went on to establish and preside over a foundation named after him. Zhelev was the initiator and president of the ], a union of former political leaders from ]. As part of the club he voiced his support for Turkey's accession to the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Bulgaria Ex-President Zhelev: Turkey Should Be in EU Already|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/108748/|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency|access-date=17 March 2014}}</ref>


Back in 2009 Zhelev also voiced his opinion that Bulgaria should transform into a ] on the French model saying: "The country should have both prime minister and president, but the latter should be vested in far-reaching powers so that he may control the executive power".<ref>{{cite web|title=Calls for Electing Prime Minister Borisov for Bulgaria's President Gain Momentum|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/106342/Calls+for+Electing+Prime+Minister+Borisov+for+Bulgaria%27s+President+Gain+Momentum|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency|accessdate=17 March 2014}}</ref> He died in Sofia at the age of 79 on 30 January 2015.<ref>http://www.novinite.com/articles/166247/Bulgaria%27s+Former+President+Zhelyu+Zhelev+Dies</ref><ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-30/zhelev-bulgaria-s-first-post-communist-president-dies-at-79</ref> In 2009, Zhelev also voiced his opinion that Bulgaria should adopt a ] based upon the French model: "The country should have both prime minister and president, but the latter should be vested in far-reaching powers so that he may control the executive power".<ref>{{cite web|title=Calls for Electing Prime Minister Borisov for Bulgaria's President Gain Momentum|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/106342/Calls+for+Electing+Prime+Minister+Borisov+for+Bulgaria%27s+President+Gain+Momentum|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency|access-date=17 March 2014}}</ref>


Zhelev died in Sofia at the age of 79 on 30 January 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.novinite.com/articles/166247/Bulgaria%27s+Former+President+Zhelyu+Zhelev+Dies|title=Bulgaria's Former President Zhelyu Zhelev Dies|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-30/zhelev-bulgaria-s-first-post-communist-president-dies-at-79 | work=Bloomberg | first=Slav | last=Okov | title=Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian Post-Communist Leader, Dies at 79 | date=30 January 2015}}</ref>
=== Author ===
Zhelev has written a number of books and publications, the most notable one being his controversial 1981 work '']''. The book was removed from the bookshelves and destroyed a few weeks after it was published. This caught the attention of Bulgarian readers and as a result this became the best-read book between 1981 and 1989. A few people were arrested by the secret police for possessing it. The author was confined to his hometown, Shumen, and banned from public life.


===World Justice Project===
The book analyzes the three classic fascist societies—Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Francoist Spain—and establishes five elements of a Fascist political system:
Zhelyu Zhelev served as an Honorary Co-Chair for the ] (]).<ref name=wjp>{{cite web|title=Honorary Chairs|url=http://worldjusticeproject.org/honorary-chairs|publisher=]|access-date=31 January 2015}}</ref>
# Single party system with strong personality cult.
# Merger of the party apparatus with the state apparatus.
# Total espionage.
# Censorship.
# System of repression (secret police with extraordinary authority and death camps).


== Family ==
The book does not pose any criticism of the Communist system in the Soviet bloc and deals exclusively with well-known facts. However, the analysis of the abovementioned five elements of fascist countries was viewed as implying that the system of Communist countries was a mirror image of the fascist systems, in sharp contrast with democratic countries, such as the United States and those in Western Europe.
He was married to ] (3 April 1942 – 8 December 2013)<ref name=mp>{{cite news |title=Почина Мария Желева, съпруга на президента Желю Желев |url=https://www.mediapool.bg/pochina-mariya-zheleva-sapruga-na-prezidenta-zhelyu-zhelev-news214482.html |work=Mediapool.bg |date=2013-12-09 |access-date=2020-05-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212221732/https://www.mediapool.bg/pochina-mariya-zheleva-sapruga-na-prezidenta-zhelyu-zhelev-news214482.html |archive-date=2019-12-12 |url-status=live}}</ref> and has two daughters Yordanka (1963–1993) and Stanka (born 1966).
Zhelev has two grandchildren from his daughter Stanka.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}


===World Justice Project=== ==Awards and accolades==
On 15 January 2010, Zhelev received the ] for his contribution to the recognition of the independence of the ] from the former ].
Zhelyu Zhelev served as an Honorary Co-Chair for the ] (]). The ] works to lead a global, multidisciplinary effort to strengthen the ] for the development of communities of opportunity and equity.

] on ], ] is named after Zhelyu Zhelev "for his support for the Bulgarian Antarctic programme."<ref> SCAR ]</ref>

=== National honours ===
* {{Flag|Bulgaria}}: Grand Cross of the ] (3 March 2005)


===Awards and accolades=== === Foreign honours ===
* {{Flag|Spain}}: Grand Cross of the ] (1993)<ref name="boe1993">{{cite web|url=https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1993/05/22/pdfs/A15637-15637.pdf|title=Boletín Oficial del Estado|publisher=Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado|date=10 June 2003|access-date=21 February 2015|language=es}}</ref>
{{expand section|date=March 2014}}
* {{Flag|Portugal}}: Grand Collar of the ] (1994)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ordens.presidencia.pt/?idc=154 | title=ENTIDADES ESTRANGEIRAS AGRACIADAS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS - Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas }}</ref>
On January 15, 2010 Zhelev received the Macedonian state ] for his contribution to the recognition of the independence of the ] from the former ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Macedonia President: Bulgaria Leader in Recognizing Our Independence|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/112010/Macedonia+President%3A+Bulgaria+Leader+in+Recognizing+Our+Independence|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency|accessdate=6 March 2014}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Poland}}: ] (1994)<ref>{{cite web|title=Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej|url=https://www.prezydent.pl/prezydent/kompetencje/ordery-i-odznaczenia/ordery/order-zaslugi-rp|website=Prezydent.pl|access-date=April 21, 2023}}</ref>
* {{Flag|South Korea}}: ] (1995)
* {{Flag|North Macedonia|name=Republic of Macedonia}}: ] (2010)<ref>{{cite web|title=Macedonia President: Bulgaria Leader in Recognizing Our Independence|url=http://www.novinite.com/articles/112010/Macedonia+President%3A+Bulgaria+Leader+in+Recognizing+Our+Independence|work=Novinite.com|publisher=Sofia News Agency|access-date=6 March 2014}}</ref>


==References== ==References==
Line 78: Line 109:


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* at the Sofia Echo, by Ivan Vatahov, April 17 2003 (retrieved January 27, 2010).
* at the Sofia Echo, by Ivan Vatahov, April 17, 2003 (retrieved January 27, 2010).

*{{cite journal |last=Thomas |first=Richard |title=Zhelyu Zhelev: Dissident who fought the dictatorship in Bulgaria before becoming its first democratically elected head of state |journal= The Independent |date= 15 February 2015 |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/zhelyu-zhelev-dissident-who-fought-the-dictatorship-in-bulgaria-before-becoming-its-first-10047438.html |access-date= November 14, 2018}}
*{{cite news |author= The Associated Press |title= Zhelyu Zhelev, communist-era dissident who became president of Bulgaria, dies |newspaper= The Washington Post |date= February 2, 2015 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/zhelyu-zhelev-communist-era-dissident-who-became-president-of-bulgaria-dies/2015/02/02/3af9f10e-a8c9-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html?noredirect=on |access-date= November 14, 2018}}
*{{cite journal |author= The Associated Press |title=Former Bulgarian president Zhelyu Zhelev, first democratically elected leader, dies at 79 |journal= Times Colonist |date= January 30, 2015 |url= https://www.timescolonist.com/former-bulgarian-president-zhelyu-zhelev-first-democratically-elected-leader-dies-at-79-1.1747596 |access-date= November 14, 2018}}
*{{cite news |title= Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian president - obituary; Bulgaria's first democratically elected president who laid the groundwork for his country's entry into the EU |publisher=The Telegraph |date= 12 February 2015 |url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11408864/Zhelyu-Zhelev-Bulgarian-president-obituary.html|access-date= November 16, 2018}}
{{BulgarianPresidents}} {{BulgarianPresidents}}
{{Fall of Communism}} {{Fall of Communism}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=64420175}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME =Zhelev, Zhelyu
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = President of Bulgaria
| DATE OF BIRTH =3 March 1935
| PLACE OF BIRTH =]
| DATE OF DEATH =30 January 2015
| PLACE OF DEATH =]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhelev, Zhelyu}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Zhelev, Zhelyu}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]

Latest revision as of 06:53, 8 January 2025

President of Bulgaria from 1990 to 1997
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In this Bulgarian name, the patronymic is Mitev and the family name is Zhelev.
Zhelyu Zhelev
Желю Желев
1st President of Bulgaria
In office
22 January 1992 – 22 January 1997
Prime Minister
Vice PresidentBlaga Dimitrova
Preceded byHimself (as Chairman)
Succeeded byPetar Stoyanov
Chairman (President) of Bulgaria
In office
1 August 1990 – 22 January 1992
Prime Minister
DeputyAtanas Semerdzhiev
Preceded byPetar Mladenov
Succeeded byHimself (as President)
Leader of the Union of Democratic Forces
In office
7 December 1989 – 1 August 1990
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPetar Beron
Personal details
BornZhelyu Mitev Zhelev
(1935-03-03)3 March 1935
Veselinovo, Tsardom of Bulgaria
Died30 January 2015(2015-01-30) (aged 79)
Sofia, Bulgaria
Resting placeCentral Sofia Cemetery
Political partyIndependent (1990–2015)
Other political
affiliations
Spouse Maria Zheleva ​ ​(m. 1961; died 2013)
ChildrenMitko (died 80 days after birth)
Yordanka (died in 1993)
Stanka
Occupation
  • Politician
  • philosopher
Signature
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Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev (Bulgarian: Желю Митев Желев; 3 March 1935 – 30 January 2015) was a Bulgarian politician and former dissident who served as the first democratically elected and non-Communist President of Bulgaria, from 1990 to 1997. Zhelev was one of the most prominent figures of the 1989 Bulgarian Revolution, which ended the 35 year rule of President Todor Zhivkov. A member of the Union of Democratic Forces, he was elected as President by the 7th Grand National Assembly. Two years later, he won Bulgaria's first direct presidential elections. He lost his party's nomination for his 1996 reelection campaign after losing a tough primary race to Petar Stoyanov.

Biography

Early life

Zhelev was born in 1935 into a modest village family in Veselinovo in north-eastern Bulgaria. He studied philosophy at Sofia University, graduating in 1958 and gaining a PhD in 1974, a remarkable achievement given that he was under a cloud as a dissident, having been expelled from the Communist Party in 1965. After his expulsion he endured years of “social parasitism”, or unemployment in communist terminology, which he spent in virtual internal exile in his wife’s village, scraping a living from odd jobs on farms.

Dissident

Zhelev was a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party, but was expelled from it for political reasons in 1965. He was unemployed for six years since all employment in Bulgaria was state-regulated.

In 1982, he published his controversial work, Fascism (Фашизмът). Three weeks after the volume's publication in 1982, the book was removed from bookstores and libraries throughout the nation, as its description of the fascist states of Italy, Germany and Spain before, during, and after World War II made these regimes comparable to the Communist regimes in the Eastern Bloc.

SDS

In 1988, just before the Fall of Communism, Zhelev founded the Ruse Committee, and in 1989 he became a founding member and chairman of the Club for Support of Openness and the Reform (a time when many such democratic clubs were formed), which helped him to achieve the position of Chairman of the Coordinating Council of the Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgarian: СДС, SDS) party.

MP and President

Zhelev was elected MP in June 1990 for the 7th Grand National Assembly; the Assembly's main goal was to create a new democratic Constitution of Bulgaria. After the resignation of President Petar Mladenov, the assembly elected Zhelev his successor on 1 August 1990. He thus became the first head of state in 44 years who was not either a Communist or fellow traveler.

1992 presidential election

Under the new constitution adopted in July 1991, the president was to be elected directly by voters, for a maximum of two terms. The first such election was held in January 1992. Zhelev led the field in the first round, held on 12 January. He then won in the runoff a week later against Velko Valkanov (who was endorsed by the Socialists) with 52.8% of the votes to become Bulgaria's first directly elected head of state. He immediately suspended his membership in the UDF. While the new constitution only barred him from serving in a leadership post with the party, he wanted to appear to be above politics. Since then, convention in Bulgaria calls for the president to not be a formal member of a political party during his term.

1996 presidential election

Zhelev sought a second term in 1996, but lost the UDF nomination to eventual winner Petar Stoyanov.

Later political career

After his defeat in the 1996 UDF primaries and after the end of his presidency in 1997, Zhelev remained in politics, but on a much smaller scale. He became Honorary Chair of the Liberal Democratic Union and Honorary Chair of the Liberal International and in 1997 went on to establish and preside over a foundation named after him. Zhelev was the initiator and president of the Balkan Political Club, a union of former political leaders from Southeast Europe. As part of the club he voiced his support for Turkey's accession to the European Union.

In 2009, Zhelev also voiced his opinion that Bulgaria should adopt a presidential system based upon the French model: "The country should have both prime minister and president, but the latter should be vested in far-reaching powers so that he may control the executive power".

Zhelev died in Sofia at the age of 79 on 30 January 2015.

World Justice Project

Zhelyu Zhelev served as an Honorary Co-Chair for the World Justice Project (ABA).

Family

He was married to Maria Zheleva (3 April 1942 – 8 December 2013) and has two daughters Yordanka (1963–1993) and Stanka (born 1966). Zhelev has two grandchildren from his daughter Stanka.

Awards and accolades

On 15 January 2010, Zhelev received the Order 8-September for his contribution to the recognition of the independence of the Republic of Macedonia from the former Yugoslavia.

Zhelev Peak on Loubet Coast, Antarctica is named after Zhelyu Zhelev "for his support for the Bulgarian Antarctic programme."

National honours

Foreign honours

References

  1. "Yordanka Zheleva". Orlando Sentinel. 28 April 1993. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  2. Detrez, Raymond (2006). "Zhelev, Zhelyo (1935- )". Historical Dictionary of Bulgaria (2nd ed.). Lanham, Maryland; Toronto; Oxford: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. pp. 491–493.
  3. "Zhelyu Zhelev: Dissident who fought the dictatorship in Bulgaria before becoming its first democratically elected head of state". independent.co.uk. 15 February 2015.
  4. Harris M. Lentz (4 February 2014). Heads of States and Governments Since 1945. Routledge. p. 117. ISBN 978-1-134-26490-2.
  5. Желев, Желю; Желев, Желю Митев (1990). Фашизмът (in Bulgarian). Social Science Monographs. ISBN 978-0-88033-966-7.
  6. ^ Lynda Lee Kaid; Christina Holtz-Bacha (21 December 2007). Encyclopedia of Political Communication. SAGE Publications. p. 1015. ISBN 978-1-4522-6562-9.
  7. "Профил на Желю Желев в "omda". omda.bg. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  8. Coordinating Council of the Union of Democratic Forces. Demokratsiya Newspaper, 27 April 1990.
  9. "Bulgaria Ex-President Zhelev: Turkey Should Be in EU Already". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  10. "Calls for Electing Prime Minister Borisov for Bulgaria's President Gain Momentum". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  11. "Bulgaria's Former President Zhelyu Zhelev Dies". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency.
  12. Okov, Slav (30 January 2015). "Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian Post-Communist Leader, Dies at 79". Bloomberg.
  13. "Honorary Chairs". World Justice Project. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  14. "Почина Мария Желева, съпруга на президента Желю Желев". Mediapool.bg. 2013-12-09. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  15. Zhelev Peak. SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
  16. "Boletín Oficial del Estado" (PDF) (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado. 10 June 2003. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  17. "ENTIDADES ESTRANGEIRAS AGRACIADAS COM ORDENS PORTUGUESAS - Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas".
  18. "Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". Prezydent.pl. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  19. "Macedonia President: Bulgaria Leader in Recognizing Our Independence". Novinite.com. Sofia News Agency. Retrieved 6 March 2014.

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