Rosen Zhelyazkov facts for kids
Rosen Dimitrov Zhelyazkov (Росен Димитров Желязков), born on April 5, 1968, is a Bulgarian politician. He is currently the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, taking office in 2025. He is a member of the GERB political party. Before becoming Prime Minister, he held several important roles. He was the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2023 to 2024. He also served as a Member of the National Assembly from 2021 to 2025 and was the Minister of Transport from 2018 to 2021.
Quick facts for kids
Rosen Zhelyazkov
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Росен Желязков
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Official portrait, 2023
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| Prime Minister of Bulgaria | |
| Assumed office 16 January 2025 |
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| President | Rumen Radev |
| Deputy |
See list
Tomislav Donchev
Atanas Zafirov Grozdan Karadzhov |
| Preceded by | Dimitar Glavchev |
| Speaker of the National Assembly | |
| In office 19 April 2023 – 25 April 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Vezhdi Rashidov |
| Succeeded by | Raya Nazaryan |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| In office 21 July 2021 – 16 January 2025 |
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| Constituency | 1st — Blagoevgrad |
| Minister of Transport, Information Technologies and Communications | |
| In office 20 September 2018 – 12 May 2021 |
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| Prime Minister | Boyko Borisov |
| Preceded by | Ivaylo Moskovski |
| Succeeded by | Georgi Todorov |
| Personal details | |
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Rosen Dimitrov Zhelyazkov
5 April 1968 Sofia, PR Bulgaria |
| Political party | GERB |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Sofia University |
| Occupation |
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Contents
Early Life and Education
Rosen Zhelyazkov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria, on April 5, 1968. He studied law at Sofia University and earned a master's degree.
After finishing his studies, he started his career in 1994. He worked as a legal advisor for the Sredets district in Sofia Municipality. He held several important legal roles in the local government. In 1995, he became a lawyer, specializing in civil and business law.
Political Career
Working in City Government
Zhelyazkov's first political role was from 1998 to 1999. He served as the deputy mayor for "Law and Control" in the Lozenets district of Sofia.
In 2003, he became the secretary of the Sofia Municipality. He continued in this role when Boyko Borisov became mayor in 2005. In 2009, Borisov appointed him as the Secretary to the Ministerial Council. This job involved managing the administrative tasks for the government.
Roles in State Administration
Rosen Zhelyazkov worked as the Secretary to the Ministerial Cabinet from 2009 to 2013. He first served under Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. He was re-appointed by Caretaker Prime Minister Marin Raykov.
During this time, he also led the governing board of the Institute for Public Administration. He represented Bulgaria at the European Institute for Public Administration.
From 2014 to 2016, Zhelyazkov advised Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. His advice focused on public administration and e-Government. He helped create laws to bring e-government to Bulgaria. He also represented Bulgaria at international meetings about open government.
In 2016, he was considered for a leadership role in the Commission for the Protection of Competitiveness. However, he decided not to pursue the position.
Later in 2016, he became the Chairman of the new State e-Government Agency. In this role, he worked on making government services digital. He also helped bring online solutions for official documents.
In 2017, he was appointed to lead the Commission for the Regulation of Messages (CRM). This commission oversees postal services, radio, and electronic signatures.
Minister of Transport
On September 20, 2018, the National Assembly chose Rosen Zhelyazkov as the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications. He took over after the previous minister resigned.
As Minister, Zhelyazkov promised to work closely with the National Assembly. He aimed to continue projects started by his predecessor.
One of his first actions was to stop the process of giving control of Plovdiv Airport to a private company. He also extended the deadline for the same process for Sofia Airport.
In November 2018, Zhelyazkov announced changes in the leadership of the Bulgarian State Railways. This happened after concerns about how funds were managed.
He also worked on new rules for international transportation within the European Union. He supported Bulgarian transport workers and their protests. He helped Bulgaria get some better conditions for its lorry drivers during these talks.
There were some discussions about the fairness of the contract for Sofia Airport. Despite these concerns, the airport was eventually given to the company "Sof Connect" in June 2019. Zhelyazkov officially signed the contract in July 2020.
In February 2019, bus drivers in Bulgaria considered a national strike. This was due to unclear rules about government support. In response, measures were announced to improve working conditions for bus drivers. These measures also aimed to improve how state funds were given out.
Zhelyazkov worked to make car registration easier. He suggested a law that would allow private companies to do vehicle check-ups. This aimed to reduce bureaucracy.
He also oversaw the building of 5G internet networks in Bulgaria.
In 2020, the Ministry of Transport decided to restart the process for Plovdiv Airport. They planned to give control of it for 35 years.
Working with the Ministry of Education, Zhelyazkov tried to change driving license exams. The idea was to increase practical driving requirements and reduce theory. Driving schools were concerned about these changes. Zhelyazkov believed the changes would make the process more digital and fairer. However, these reforms were not put into action.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he approved a special wage support plan for the transport sector. This helped workers keep their jobs.
Zhelyazkov's time as Minister of Transport ended in May 2021.
Parliamentary Work and Speakership
Rosen Zhelyazkov became a Member of Parliament for the GERB-UDF party. He served in several National Assemblies. On April 19, 2023, he was elected as the Parliament Chair. He received 136 votes in favor.
On April 25, 2024, Zhelyazkov was removed from his position as Chairperson of the National Assembly.
In July, Zhelyazkov was asked by President Rumen Radev to try and form a government as prime minister. However, the National Assembly did not approve his proposed government.
Prime Minister of Bulgaria
On January 16, 2025, the National Assembly voted to approve the Zhelyazkov Government. With this vote, Rosen Zhelyazkov officially became the Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
See also
In Spanish: Rosen Zheliazkov para niños
- Rumen Radev
- Iliana Iotova
- Nikolai Denkov
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2023
