Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

February 4, 1997 - one of the turning points in contemporary Bulgarian politics

PM Nikolai Dobrev (left) returns the mandate to President Petar Stoyanov (right)
Photo: Archive

Today marks 25 years since one of the most memorable dates in Bulgarian political life - February 4, 1997. Mass protests over the government's failure to cope with a number of crises forced Prime Minister Zhan Videnov to resign in late 1996. Power passed into the hands of President Zhelyo Zhelev a few days before handing over the post to his successor Petar Stoyanov. 

The parliamentary roulette urged BSP to regain a mandate to form a government. However, President Zhelev refused to hand it over to their candidate for prime minister, Nikolai Dobrev. This situation presented the next president with a difficult task. Stoyanov still fulfilled his obligation under the Constitution, but in his first address he appealed to the Socialists to return it unrealized. The BSP complied and Dobrev returned the mandate. 
The President appointed a caretaker government headed by Stefan Sofianski, which revealed the scale of the economic catastrophe, defended the national currency, agreed on the establishment of a Currency Board, and applied for Bulgaria's membership in NATO. And all this just a few months before the elections in April of that year, won by an absolute majority of the United Democratic Forces (SDS).



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Metropolitan Arseniy of Sliven

The Sliven Metropolis is opposed to the Nestinarstvo tradition

Metropolitan Arseniy of Sliven has spoken out against the nestinari (fire dancers), prohibiting them from using icons during their rituals. This announcement was made on the Sliven Metropolis's official website and Facebook page. In his statement,..

published on 5/21/25 2:15 PM
The Cyril and Methodius monument in front of the National Library in Sofia.

Scientists from 14 countries meet to discuss the legacy of Christian missions in the Middle Ages

An international scientific conference will be held in Sofia from 21 to 24 May, the days preceding the celebration of Saints Cyril and Methodius, announced the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). The conference, titled "Christian Missions in the European..

published on 5/21/25 9:10 AM

What else don't we know about the Glagolitic alphabet, one of the oldest surviving alphabets?

A key to our heritage and national identity, the Glagolitic alphabet is an alphabet and a message to Europe, surrounded by many hypotheses. To mark the 1170th anniversary of its creation, we take a trip back to the 9th century, when the brothers Cyril..

published on 5/16/25 12:52 PM