List of heads of state of Bulgaria
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This is a list of the heads of state of the modern Bulgarian state, from the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria to the present day.
It also lists the General Secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1946–1990. From 1946 onwards, the General Secretary was the country's de facto chief executive.
Principality of Bulgaria (1878–1908)
House of Battenberg (1879–1886)
| Prince | Reign | Claim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | ||
|
Alexander I 1857–1893 (Lived: 36 years) |
29 April 1879 | 7 September 1886 (Abdicated) |
7 years, 131 days | Elected by the First Grand National Assembly | |
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1887–1908)
| Prince | Reign | Claim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | ||
|
Ferdinand I 1861–1948 (Lived: 87 years) |
7 July 1887 | 5 October 1908 | 21 years, 90 days | Elected by the Third Grand National Assembly | |
Kingdom of Bulgaria (1908–1946)
House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1908–1946)
| Tsar | Reign | Claim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Reign start | Reign end | Duration | ||
|
|
Ferdinand I 1861–1948 (Lived: 87 years) |
5 October 1908 | 3 October 1918 (Abdicated) |
9 years, 363 days | Proclaimed himself as Tsar | |
|
Boris III 1894–1943 (Lived: 49 years) |
3 October 1918 | 28 August 1943 | 24 years, 329 days | Son of Ferdinand I | |
|
Simeon II Born 1937 (86 years old) |
28 August 1943 | 15 September 1946 (The monarchy has been abolished) |
3 years, 18 days | Son of Boris III | |
Denotes Regent
| Regent | Term | Claim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Term start | Term end | Duration | ||
|
Kiril, Prince of Preslav 1895–1945 (Lived: 49 years) |
28 August 1943 | 9 September 1944 (Deposed) |
1 year, 12 days | First Regency Council For Simeon II | |
|
Bogdan Filov 1883–1945 (Lived: 61 years) | |||||
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|
Lt. General Nikola Mikhov 1891–1945 (Lived: 53 years) | |||||
Denotes Regent
| Regent | Term | Claim | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Term start | Term end | Duration | ||
|
Todor Pavlov 1890–1977 (Lived: 87 years) |
9 September 1944 | 15 September 1946 (The monarchy has been abolished) |
2 years, 6 days | Second Regency Council For Simeon II | |
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|
Venelin Ganev 1880–1966 (Lived: 86 years) | |||||
|
Tsvetko Boboshevski 1884–1952 (Lived: 68 years) | |||||
People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1990)
- Status
Denotes Acting Head of State
| Head of State | Term of office | Duration | Political party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Election | Took office | Left office | |||
| Chairman of the Provisional Presidency | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Vasil Kolarov 1877–1950 (Lived: 72 years) |
— | 15 September 1946 | 9 December 1947 | 1 year, 85 days | BCP |
| Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Mincho Neychev 1887–1956 (Lived: 69 years) |
— | 9 December 1947 | 27 May 1950 | 2 years, 169 days | BCP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Georgi Damyanov 1892–1958 (Lived: 66 years) |
— | 27 May 1950 | 27 November 1958 (Died) |
8 years, 184 days | BCP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Georgi Kulishev 1885–1974 (Lived: 89 years) |
— | 27 November 1958 | 30 November 1958 | 3 days | BCP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Nikolay Georgiev 1906–1988 (Lived: 81 years) |
— | BANU | |||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Dimitar Ganev 1898–1964 (Lived: 65 years) |
— | 30 November 1958 | 20 April 1964 (Died) |
5 years, 142 days | BCP |
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|
Georgi Kulishev 1885–1974 (Lived: 89 years) |
— | 20 April 1964 | 23 April 1964 | 3 days | BCP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Nikolay Georgiev 1906–1988 (Lived: 81 years) |
— | BANU | |||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union/meta/color; color:white;"| | File:Georgi Traikov.jpg | Georgi Traykov 1898–1975 (Lived: 76 years) |
— | 23 April 1964 | 7 July 1971 | 7 years, 75 days | BANU |
| Chairman of the State Council | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | .jpg)
|
Todor Zhivkov 1911–1998 (Lived: 86 years) |
— | 7 July 1971 | 17 November 1989 | 18 years, 133 days | BCP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | .jpg)
|
Petar Mladenov 1936–2000 (Lived: 63 years) |
— | 17 November 1989 | 3 April 1990 | 137 days | BCP |
| Chairman (President) of the Republic | |||||||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Socialist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Petar Mladenov 1936–2000 (Lived: 63 years) |
(Apr) 1990 | 3 April 1990 | 6 July 1990 | 94 days | BSP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Socialist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Stanko Todorov 1920–1996 (Lived: 76 years) |
— | 6 July 1990 | 17 July 1990 | 11 days | BSP |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Socialist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Nikolai Todorov 1921–2003 (Lived: 82 years) |
— | 17 July 1990 | 1 August 1990 | 15 days | BSP |
| style="background:Template:Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria)/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Zhelyu Zhelev 1935–2015 (Lived: 79 years) |
(Jul-Aug) 1990 | 1 August 1990 | 15 November 1990 | 106 days | UDF |
General Secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist Party (1946–1990)
| General Secretary | Term of office | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Took office | Left office | Duration | ||
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Georgi Dimitrov 1882–1949 (Lived: 67 years) |
December 1946 | 2 July 1949 | 2 years, 7 months | Also Prime Minister (1946–1949) |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Valko Chervenkov 1900–1980 (Lived: 80 years) |
2 July 1949 | 4 March 1954 | 4 years, 245 days | Also Prime Minister (1950–1956) |
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|
Todor Zhivkov 1911–1998 (Lived: 86 years) |
4 March 1954 | 10 November 1989 | 35 years, 251 days | Also Prime Minister (1962–1971), and Chairman of the Council of State (1971–1989) |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Communist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Petar Mladenov 1936–2000 (Lived: 63 years) |
10 November 1989 | 2 February 1990 | 84 days | Also Chairman of the Council of State (1989–1990) |
Republic of Bulgaria (1990–present)
| President | Term of office | Duration | Political party | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Election | Took office | Left office | ||||
| Chairman (President) of the Republic | ||||||||
| style="background:Template:Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria)/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Zhelyu Zhelev 1935–2015 (Lived: 79 years) |
— | 1 August 1990 | 22 January 1992 | 1 year, 174 days | UDF | |
| President of the Republic | ||||||||
| style="background:Template:Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria)/meta/color; color:white;"| |
|
Zhelyu Zhelev 1935–2015 (Lived: 79 years) |
1992 | 22 January 1992 | 22 January 1997 | 5 years, 0 days | UDF | |
| style="background:Template:Union of Democratic Forces (Bulgaria)/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Petar Stoyanov Born 1952 (72 years old) |
1996 | 22 January 1997 | 22 January 2002 | 5 years, 0 days | UDF | |
| style="background:Template:Bulgarian Socialist Party/meta/color; color:white;"| | 
|
Georgi Parvanov Born 1957 (66 years old) |
2001 2006 |
22 January 2002 | 22 January 2012 | 10 years, 0 days | BSP | |
| style="background:Template:GERB/meta/color; color:black;"| | 
|
Rosen Plevneliev Born 1964 (60 years old) |
2011 | 22 January 2012 | 22 January 2017 | 5 years, 0 days | GERB | |
| style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color; color:black;"| | .jpg)
|
Rumen Radev Born 1963 (60 years old) |
2016 | 22 January 2017 | Incumbent (mandate expires on 22 January 2022) | 7 years, 126 days | Independent | |
Living former heads of state
There are three living former Bulgarian Presidents and one living former Tsar of Bulgaria:
Head of State titles
| State | Years | Title |
|---|---|---|
 Principality of Bulgaria
|
1879–1908 | Prince of Bulgaria |
| Kingdom of Bulgaria
|
1908–1946 | Tsar of Bulgaria |
 People's Republic of Bulgaria
|
1946–1947 | Chairman of the Provisional Presidency |
| 1947–1971 | Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly | |
| 1971–1990 | Chairman of the State Council | |
| 1990 | Chairman (President) of the Republic | |
| Republic of Bulgaria
|
1990–1992 | |
| 1992–present | President of the Republic |
See also
- Politics of Bulgaria
- List of Bulgarian monarchs
- List of Bulgarian regents
- List of Prime Ministers of Bulgaria
- List of Presidents of Bulgaria (1990-present)
- List of First Deputy Chairmen of the State Council of Bulgaria
- Vice President of Bulgaria
- List of Heads of state of Bulgaria by longevity
- List of vice heads of state of Bulgaria by longevity
