Kostov Government

The eighty-fourth cabinet of Bulgaria ruled from May 21, 1997 to July 24, 2001. The government was formed by the United Democratic Forces, an electoral alliance led by the Union of Democratic Forces, after they won a landslide victory in the 1997 parliamentary election winning 49.15% of the votes and 137 (out of 240) seats in the National Assembly.[1] The cabinet was chaired by the UDF leader Ivan Kostov who shared the cabinet posts between his party and his allies. This was the largest margin of victory since the end of communism in 1990, to this day. Kostov's government was the first since 1990 to serve its entire four-year mandate.[2]

Kostov Government

84 Cabinet of Bulgaria
Date formed21 May 1997
Date dissolved24 July 2001
People and organisations
Head of statePetar Stoyanov
Head of governmentIvan Kostov
Deputy head of government
Member partiesUnited Democratic Forces
Status in legislatureCoalition Government
History
Election(s)1997
Legislature term(s)38th National Assembly
Outgoing formationElectoral Defeat (2001)
PredecessorSofiyanski Government (Provisional)
SuccessorSakskoburggotski Government

Background

In the previous parliamentary election (1994) the Bulgarian Socialist Party won a majority of the seats and the UDF was reduced to 69 seats. Up to that point in time the UDF had formed government only once, under Philip Dimitrov, and governed for one year only (1991-1992). The tide turned on the socialists, however, after the economic meltdown during the winter of 1996-1997 and the government was forced to step down.[3] After declaring their intentions to form a new government, the UDF and other opposition parties staged mass rallies demanding snap elections.[3] Eventually the Socialists bowed to the pressure and agreed. After a caretaker government was appointed in February, early parliamentary elections were scheduled for April, two years before otherwise scheduled.[4] The result was a landslide victory for Ivan Kostov's electoral alliance.

Cabinet

Original Composition
MinistryMinisterParty
Prime MinisterIvan KostovUDF
Deputy Prime-Minister and Minister of Education and ScienceVeselin MetodievDP
Deputy Prime-Minister and Minister of IndustryAlexander BozhkovUDF
Deputy Prime-Minister and Minister of Regional Development and Public WorksEvgeni BakardzhievUDF
Minister of Foreign AffairsNadezhda MihaylovaUDF
Minister of InteriorBogomil BonevUDF
Minister of FinanceMuravey RadevUDF
Minister of Justice and Euro-integrationVasil GotsevDP
Minister of DefenceGeorgi AnanievUDF
Minister of Labour and Social PolicyIvan NeykovUDF
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Agrarian ReformVentsislav VarbanovBANU
Minister of TransportVilhelm KrausUDF
Minister of Public AdministrationMario TagarinskiUDF
Minister of EnvironmentEvdokiya ManevaUDF
Minister of HealthPetar BoyadzhievIndependent
Minister of CultureEmma MoskovaIndependent
Minister of Tourism and TradeValentin VasilevUDF

Changes on December 21, 1999

In December 1999 the National Security Agency released a report following a sweeping investigation, written by Tsvetlin Iovchev, outlining possible security threats. Michael Cherney, an Uzbekistan-born Israeli businessman, was expelled from the country and forbidden from reentering for 10 years for his ties to foreign criminal money-laundering schemes. Also, three diplomats from the Russian embassy were expelled from the country and their spy was arrested, accused of leaking classified documents to the Russians.

The following changes were made to the Cabinet:

  • The Ministry of Transportation was transformed into the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Antoni Slavinski (DP) was chosen to be the new minister.
  • The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Agrarian Reform was transformed into the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry. Ventsislav Vurbanov remained the Minister.
  • The Ministry of Justice and Euro-integration was reorganized into the Ministry of Justice. Teodosy Symeonov (Ind) became the new minister.
  • The Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Tourism and Trade were merged to become the Ministry of Economy. The new minister was Petar Zhotev (Ind). He also became deputy Prime Minister, the only one to hold that office in the second half (1999-2001) of the government.
  • Prime Minister Ivan Kostov takes over the Ministry of Public Administration.
  • The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works is taken over by Evgeni Chachev (Ind).
  • Dimitar Dimitrov (DP) became the new Minister of Education and Science.
  • Boyko Noyev (Ind) was appointed as the new Minister of Defence.
  • Emanuyl Yordanov (?) was appointed as the new Minister of Interior.
  • Ilko Semerdzhiev (?) was appointed as the new Minister of Health.
  • Aleksander Pramatarski (DP) was appointed as a minister without portfolio.

See also
  • History of Bulgaria since 1989

References
  1. "1997 Parliamentary Elections". Project on Political Transformation and the Electoral Process in Post-Communist Europe. University of Essex. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
  2. Crampton, R.J. (2005). A Concise History of BULGARIA. New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 236.
  3. Crampton, p235
  4. "ИВАН КОСТОВ ЗАБРАВИ, ЧЕ "АБСОЛЮТНАТА ВЛАСТ ПОГУБВА"". Razuznavane.com. Разузнаване.ком. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
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