14 Facts About Georgi Parvanov

Georgi Parvanov was elected after defeating incumbent Petar Stoyanov in the second round of the November 2001 presidential election.

Georgi Parvanov was reelected in a landslide victory in 2006, becoming the first Bulgarian president to serve two terms.

In January 2014 Georgi Parvanov restarted his Alternative for Bulgarian Revival project, announcing he would be fielding his own candidates for the 2014 European parliamentary elections.

Georgi Parvanov was born in Sirishtnik, Pernik Province on 28 June 1957 and he grew up in nearby Kosacha.

In 1975 Georgi Parvanov graduated from secondary school in Pernik and in 1981 finished his undergraduate education at Sofia University, gaining a major in history, specializing in the history of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Georgi Parvanov joined the Institute for History of the Bulgarian Communist Party as a researcher in 1981.

In 1989 Georgi Parvanov formed the nationalist organization "Nationwide Committee for the Defense of National Interests".

Georgi Parvanov was chairman of the Parliamentary Group for Friendship with Greece and member of the Parliamentary Committee on Radio and Television from 1994 to 1997.

In 2000 Georgi Parvanov was reelected as Chairman of the National Council of the BSP.

Georgi Parvanov has been credited with altering the geopolitical orientation of the party, paving the way for Bulgaria's joining of NATO in 2004.

Georgi Parvanov led his party to its worst electoral performance in 2001.

Georgi Parvanov took office on 22 January 2002, becoming the first ex-Communist to win the presidency since 1990.

In summer 2010, Georgi Parvanov reached his platform ABV, the name constructed by the first three letters in Bulgarian alphabet, which he claimed was neither a political party nor a preparation for registering such.

In 2006 Georgi Parvanov admitted that before 1989 there was a file on him at the Communist Security Service under the nickname "Gotse" for his scientific assistance on Macedonian topics.