Petar Mladenov facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Petar Mladenov
Петър Младенов
1st President of Bulgaria
In office 3 April 1990 – 6 July 1990
Prime Minister	Andrey Lukanov
Preceded by	Himself as Chairman of the State Council
Succeeded by	Stanko Todorov (Acting)
Chairman of the State Council of Bulgaria
In office 17 November 1989 – 3 April 1990
Preceded by	Todor Zhivkov
Succeeded by	Himself as President
General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party
In office 10 November 1989 – 2 February 1990
Preceded by	Todor Zhivkov
Succeeded by	End of Communist rule
Foreign Minister of Bulgaria
In office 13 December 1971 – 24 October 1989
President	Todor Zhivkov
Preceded by	Ivan Hristov Bashev
Succeeded by	Boiko Dimitrov
Personal details
Born	(1936-08-22)22 August 1936 Toshevtsi, Vidin Province, Kingdom of Bulgaria
Died	31 May 2000(2000-05-31) (aged 63) Sofia, Bulgaria
Political party	BCP (1963–1990) BSP (1990–2000)
Spouse	Galia Mladenova
Children	Tatyana

Petar Toshev Mladenov (Bulgarian: Петър Тошев Младенов) was an important Bulgarian politician. He was born on August 22, 1936, and passed away on May 31, 2000. He played a big role in Bulgaria's history, especially when the country changed from a communist system to a more democratic one. He was the last leader of communist Bulgaria and then became its first President for a short time in 1990.

Early Life and Education

Petar Mladenov grew up in a small village called Toshevtsi in Vidin Province, Bulgaria. He was born on August 22, 1936. His father was a fighter against fascism and died in 1944.

Political Career in Bulgaria

Mladenov started his political career in the Vidin Province. From 1969 to 1971, he was a key leader for the Communist Party in that area. In 1971, he joined the Politburo, which was the main decision-making group of the Communist Party. He also became the Foreign Minister (like a country's top diplomat) and held this job for 18 years. During this time, he worked closely with Todor Zhivkov, who was the long-time leader of Bulgaria.

How Zhivkov Was Replaced

In the 1980s, Mladenov became interested in the changes happening in the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev. He wanted Bulgaria to also become more open and modern.

A big problem happened in May 1989 when Zhivkov ordered many ethnic Turks to leave Bulgaria. This made many countries around the world very angry. Mladenov was especially upset because he had signed an agreement about human rights just a few months before. This event made him and other top officials decide that Zhivkov needed to be replaced.

Mladenov and others, including the Defense Minister and Finance Minister, planned to remove Zhivkov from power. Mladenov was chosen to be the new leader. He even met with Mikhail Gorbachev, who quietly supported the plan to remove Zhivkov.

In October 1989, Mladenov helped organize a large environmental meeting. He invited a Bulgarian environmental group called Ecoglasnost to join. During the meeting, members of this group were attacked by the secret police. When Mladenov found out, he decided it was time for Zhivkov to go.

On October 24, Mladenov resigned as Foreign Minister. His resignation letter strongly criticized Zhivkov's leadership. To protect himself, he sent copies of the letter to other leaders and to Gorbachev. On November 9, Mladenov and his colleagues convinced Zhivkov to step down. The next day, Mladenov was chosen to take Zhivkov's place as the leader of the Communist Party and head of the State Council (which was like being president).

Bulgaria's Shift to Democracy

After seeing other communist governments in Eastern Europe change, Mladenov wanted to bring more openness to Bulgaria. He said that Bulgaria needed to change its economy and political system to move forward. He promised to make Bulgaria a "modern, democratic, and lawful country." He also supported free elections and other reforms.

Even with Mladenov's promises, people kept protesting in the streets, asking for more freedom. On December 11, Mladenov announced that the Communist Party would give up its special right to rule. He said the party's power should come from the trust of the people, not from being forced. He also said Bulgaria should have a system with many political parties and hold elections by spring 1990.

Three days later, on December 14, the Communist Party leaders asked the National Assembly (Bulgaria's parliament) to remove the parts of the constitution that gave the Communist Party its leading role. They also agreed to early elections. These elections happened in June 1990.

The final legal step to end communist rule happened on January 2, 1990. The constitution was changed to remove the article that gave the Communist Party its special power. However, for most people, communist rule had already ended a month earlier when the party leaders agreed to give up their guaranteed right to rule.

On February 2, the job of "general secretary" of the party was changed to "party chairman." Mladenov stepped down as party leader, and a new person was chosen for the new role. This helped show that the government was no longer controlled by the party. On April 3, the State Council was replaced by an executive presidency. Mladenov was elected as the first President of Bulgaria by the National Assembly.

In April 1990, the Communist Party changed its name and became the Bulgarian Socialist Party. It tried to become more like a social democratic party, similar to those in Western countries.

Mladenov resigned as President in July 1990. This happened after he was heard saying, "The tanks had better come" (Bulgarian: По-добре танковете да дойдат) during anti-government protests in December 1989. After his resignation, he did not run in the 1990 elections and mostly stayed out of public life.

Later Years and Passing

Petar Mladenov had heart surgery in 1986, which affected his health in the years that followed. He passed away on May 31, 2000, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

See also

In Spanish: Petar Mladenov para niños