Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

34 years since the start of Bulgaria’s transition to democracy

Photo: archive

On this day in 1989, the November plenum of the Central Committee (CC) of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP) accepted the resignation of Todor Zhivkov as Secretary General of the CC of the BCP, after ruling the country for 35 years.

The demand for his resignation was organized by the member of BCP Politburo Petar Mladenov and Politburo candidate-member Andrey Lukanov, as a repercussion of Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika in the USSR. At the plenum, the CC members accepted Zhivkov’s resignation and put Petar Mladenov in his place as BCP Secretary General. The news quickly spread, and a few days later, tens of thousands of people came out into the streets for the first free political rally.

This date marks the start of the transition of Bulgaria to democracy and a market economy. Surveys from that time show that Bulgarians’ then expected the process of transition to take no more than 10 years. In practice, however it took decades.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgarian Parliament to hear cabinet ministers on US "questionnaire" related to Ukraine peacekeeping operation

The Bulgaria Parliament will hear today the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Georg Georgiev about a "questionnaire" prepared by the US on topics related to Bulgaria's readiness to participate in a special military..

published on 2/20/25 6:05 AM
A white fairy tale from Burgas!
Photo: Marina Kirova in the Facebook group

Frosty weather, subzero temperatures expected in almost all regions of Bulgaria on Thursday

On Thursday, the minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be between minus 14 °C and minus 8°C. In Sofia, it will be around minus 12°C. The day will be sunny but frosty. The thermometer values ​​in most places will be negative. Before noon, there will be..

published on 2/19/25 7:05 PM

Bulgaria honors the memory of national hero Vasil Levski

With various events throughout the country Bulgarians are marking 152 years after the death of the Apostle of Bulgarian Freedom Vasil Levski. Today, at 6:00 p.m. a memorial ceremony in front of the monument to the Apostle of Freedom in Sofia takes..

published on 2/19/25 6:08 PM