The Independent: Zhelyu Zhelev: Dissident who fought the dictatorship in Bulgaria before becoming its first democratically elected head of state
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Zhelyu Zhelev
Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev 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…
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politics · President of Bulgaria from 1990 to 1997 · politician · philosopher · non-fiction writer · also Zhelyu Zhelev, Zhelyu Mitev Zhelev, Zhelev
Born 3 March 1935 · Died 30 January 2015 · Q276567
23 published statements · 0 followers
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2015· 8 entries
The Daily Telegraph: Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgarian president - obituary
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Novinite: Social Media Campaign Launched in Macedonia To Name Street After Zhelyu Zhelev
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Yahoo News Singapore: Bulgaria bids farewell to ‘democracy hero’ Zhelev
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NDTV: Bulgaria Bids Farewell to 'Democracy Hero' Zhelyu Zhelev
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The Hindu: Zhelyu Zhelev, Bulgaria’s first democratically elected President, dies
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Yahoo: Bulgaria's first democratically-elected president Zhelev dies
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Died 2015-01-30.
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2009· 1 entry
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 pow
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1997· 2 entries
Zhelev remained in politics, but on a much smaller scale
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Went on to establish and preside over a foundation named after him
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1996· 2 entries
But lost the UDF nomination to eventual winner Petar Stoyanov
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Campaign: 1996 presidential election.
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1992· 2 entries
Campaign: 1992 presidential election.
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Career landmark: President of Bulgaria (1992–1997).
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1990· 2 entries
Career landmark: Chairman (President) of Bulgaria (1990–1992).
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Career landmark: member of the Bulgarian National Assembly (1990–1990).
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1988· 1 entry
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 f
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1982· 2 entries
Published his controversial work, Fascism (Фашизмът)
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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 C
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1958· 1 entry
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
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1935· 2 entries
Born 1935-03-03.
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Into a modest village family in Veselinovo in north-eastern Bulgaria
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