Boyko Borisov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boyko Borisov
Бойко Борисов
Borisov in 2017
Prime Minister of Bulgaria
In office 4 May 2017 – 12 May 2021
President	Rumen Radev
Deputy	See list Tomislav Donchev Krasimir Karakachanov Ekaterina Zaharieva Mariyana Nikolova
Preceded by	Ognyan Gerdzhikov
Succeeded by	Stefan Yanev
In office 7 November 2014 – 27 January 2017
President	Rosen Plevneliev Rumen Radev
Deputy	See list Tomislav Donchev Rumyana Bachvarova Meglena Kuneva Ivailo Kalfin
Preceded by	Georgi Bliznashki
Succeeded by	Ognyan Gerdzhikov
In office 27 July 2009 – 13 March 2013
President	Georgi Parvanov Rosen Plevneliev
Deputy	See list Simeon Dyankov Tsvetan Tsvetanov
Preceded by	Sergey Stanishev
Succeeded by	Marin Raykov
Member of the National Assembly
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 April 2023
Constituency	16th MMC – Plovdiv
In office 21 May 2013 – 7 November 2014
Succeeded by	Anna Aleksandrova
Constituency	25th MMC – Sofia
Leader of GERB
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 January 2010
Preceded by	Tsvetan Tsvetanov
Mayor of Sofia
In office 10 November 2005 – 27 July 2009
Preceded by	Stefan Sofiyanski
Succeeded by	Yordanka Fandakova
Personal details
Born	Boyko Metodiev Borisov (1959-06-13) 13 June 1959 (age 66) Sofia, PR Bulgaria
Political party	GERB (since 2006)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party (before 1990) NDSV (2001–2005) Independent (2005–2006)
Spouse	Stela Borisova ​ (divorced)​
Children	Veneta Borisova
Alma mater	Academy of the Ministry of Interior, in Sofia
Signature
Boyko Borisov Personal information Playing position Forward Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 2013–2014 Vitosha Bistritsa 2 (0) Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Boyko Metodiev Borisov (born 13 June 1959) is a Bulgarian politician. He has served as the Prime Minister of Bulgaria three times. In total, he was prime minister for nine years between 2009 and 2021. This makes him the longest-serving prime minister in Bulgaria since the end of communism.

Borisov is a member of the GERB party, which he also founded and currently leads. Before becoming prime minister, he was the Mayor of Sofia from 2005 to 2009. Today, he is still active in politics as a Member of the National Assembly.

He became mayor of Sofia in 2005. In December 2005, he helped start the GERB political party. He led the party to a big win in the 2009 general election. After this victory, he became prime minister. He resigned in 2013 after protests about energy prices. But he led GERB to win again in 2014 and became prime minister for a second time. His second term also ended with his resignation in 2017. This happened after his party lost the 2016 presidential election. Once more, Borisov led GERB to win the 2017 general election. This made him prime minister for a third time.

During his time as prime minister, Bulgaria saw more stable economic conditions. However, it remained one of the poorer countries in the European Union. Borisov also played football for a professional club, FC Vitosha Bistritsa, in 2013. This made him the oldest person to play for a Bulgarian professional club.

Early Life and Career

Boyko Borisov was born in 1959 in Bankya, a town near Sofia. His father worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. His mother was an elementary school teacher.

In 1977, Borisov finished high school with excellent grades. From 1982 to 1990, he worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He started as a firefighter. Later, he became a professor at the Police Academy in Sofia. He also taught at the Higher Institute for Police Officers Training.

In 1991, Borisov left the Ministry as a major. He then started his own private security company called Ipon-1. He worked as a bodyguard for important people. These included Bulgaria's last communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, and Simeon II. Simeon II was the former king of Bulgaria.

Borisov has been involved in karate for a long time. He says he has a high-level black belt. He also coached the Bulgarian national karate team. He was also a referee for international matches.

Borisov is divorced and has a daughter named Veneta.

Public Service Roles

From 2001 to 2005, Boyko Borisov was the Chief Secretary of the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior. He held the rank of General. During this time, he became well-known for helping to catch a famous criminal.

In the 2005 parliamentary elections, he was a candidate for the National Movement Simeon II party. He won in two areas but chose to keep his job at the Ministry. Later in 2005, he resigned from that job. He then ran for mayor of Sofia and won. He was re-elected as mayor in 2007.

First Time as Prime Minister

Borisov's party, GERB, won the parliamentary election on 5 July 2009. They received almost 40% of the votes. This gave them 117 out of 240 seats in parliament.

On 27 July 2009, Borisov became Prime Minister of Bulgaria. His government was a centre-right minority government. It had support from other groups in parliament. He brought in experts who were not part of any political party. These included Simeon Dyankov from the World Bank and Rosen Plevneliev.

Key Policies and Changes

Borisov's main goals were to reduce corruption and improve infrastructure. He wanted to expand the national motorway network. The Lyulin motorway was the first one completed during his term. His government also planned how to develop the energy sector until 2020. This included building gas connections with Greece, Romania, and Turkey. They also aimed to increase renewable energy.

His government stopped the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project. This decision came after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. Bulgaria also received more money from European funds.

Police actions targeted corruption and organized crime. Many criminals were arrested. However, some critics said there was not enough improvement in the rule of law. The government also faced criticism for issues with media freedom.

Borisov strongly supported a complete ban on smoking in public places. This ban was put in place in 2012. It aimed to reduce the number of smokers in Bulgaria.

His government also banned hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas. This was due to public opposition. A permit given to Chevron for shale gas exploration was taken back. Breaking this ban would lead to a very large fine.

Resignation in 2013

In 2010, doctors and other health workers protested. They were unhappy with the slow pace of healthcare reform. The health minister resigned in March 2010. His replacement also resigned six months later.

In 2012, TotalEnergies was given a license to search for oil and gas in the Black Sea. This decision caused protests in late 2012.

On 12 February 2013, new protests started across the country. People were upset about high energy costs and living standards. On 20 February, Borisov and his government resigned. He said he would not lead a government where police were hurting people. The next election was moved up to 12 May 2013.

Second Time as Prime Minister

Borisov with Ilham Aliyev.

After the 2014 elections, Borisov became prime minister again. During his second term, some promised reforms did not happen. This included changes to the justice system and healthcare.

In 2015, the growing of genetically modified crops was banned.

Foreign Policy

During this term, the South Stream gas pipeline project was cancelled. This pipeline would have brought gas from Russia to Central Europe. Instead, Borisov's government focused on connecting gas pipelines with Romania, Greece, Turkey, and Serbia. This would allow Bulgaria to get natural gas from many different sources.

A fence was built along the border with Turkey. This was to help control the flow of migrants during the European migrant crisis. Border security was also made stronger.

Third Time as Prime Minister

Borisov with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło, September 2017

Borisov with President of the European Council Donald Tusk, January 2018

Borisov with French President Emmanuel Macron, May 2018

Borisov with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, June 2018

After the 2017 parliamentary elections, Borisov became prime minister for the third time. In June 2018, a public tender was started to build a natural gas connection with Turkey. Borisov wanted to build a Balkan Gas Hub near Varna. This would allow competition between different gas suppliers.

Borisov announced that Bulgaria would join Serbia, Romania, and Greece in a bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2028.

In February 2019, Borisov received the Order of the Republic of Serbia. He thanked the Serbian president and promised to help Serbia join the EU.

In July 2019, Borisov's government faced criticism for how it handled outbreaks of African swine fever virus. This led to many pigs being culled.

In October 2019, Borisov asked the European Union to stop criticizing Turkey. He said Bulgaria had good relations with Turkey. However, a few days later, Bulgaria strongly condemned the Turkish military action in Syria.

On 25 October 2020, Borisov tested positive for COVID-19. He recovered by 10 November. His handling of the pandemic later received criticism.

After the April 2021 Bulgarian parliamentary election, Borisov's party came first. However, it seemed unlikely they would form a government. Borisov praised his party's results and offered to cooperate with others.

On 14 April, Borisov confirmed he would not be nominated for Prime Minister. On 15 April, he officially resigned as prime minister. His resignation was approved the next day. He then became Acting Prime Minister.

After his resignation was accepted, Borisov said he would "go on vacation." He posted a picture of himself playing football with his grandchildren. On 19 April, he was hospitalized for a knee injury from playing football.

On 12 May, Borisov officially stopped being Prime Minister. Stefan Yanev took over as caretaker prime minister.

Cooperation with Turkey

President Donald Trump meets with Boyko Borisov, 25 November 2019.

The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey, Berat Albayrak, met with Borisov and Bulgaria's Energy Minister. They talked about working together on natural gas and electricity. They agreed to increase cooperation in these areas.

Rivalry with President Radev

Borisov often had disagreements with President Rumen Radev. Radev was an independent candidate supported by the opposition. He had defeated Borisov's chosen candidate in the 2016 presidential election. The two became strong rivals. They accused each other of causing problems for the country. This led to President Radev supporting protests against Borisov's government in 2020–2021.

After Being Prime Minister

Borisov with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the EPP Congress in Bucharest, on 6 March 2024

GERB Party Leader

On 11 May, just before his term as prime minister ended, Borisov made changes within the GERB party. He said he wanted to promote younger members.

Before the Snap Parliamentary Elections in July, Borisov criticized the caretaker government. He argued about the government budget and changes made within the civil service. He claimed these changes were to help President Radev.

Borisov also had arguments with the caretaker Minister of Interior, Boyko Rashkov. Borisov accused Rashkov of trying to harm the GERB party. Rashkov, in turn, suggested Borisov might be involved in criminal activity.

In July 2021, Borisov was questioned by the Ministry of Interior about criminal activity.

Throughout August 2021, Borisov criticized the political parties for not being able to form a government.

Before the Snap Parliamentary Elections in November, Borisov continued to criticize the caretaker government. He said it had created a "difficult crisis." He also claimed the caretaker government was trying to "manipulate" the election results.

Even though he was a top candidate for GERB in all three elections in 2021, Boyko Borisov chose not to become a Member of Parliament.

After the new government was formed, Borisov continued to criticize it. He attacked the proposed budget, saying it would increase national debt. He also criticized the government's response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Images for kids

• 

  Borisov in 2009

• 

  Borisov with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, September 2010

• 

  Hillary Clinton holds a joint press conference with Borisov at the Council of Ministers in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 5 February 2012.

• 

  Boyko Borisov and Angela Merkel

See also

In Spanish: Boiko Borísov para niños