Zhelyu zhelev biography of michael

On November 10th, , Bulgaria sees the end of Zhivkov obscure the single party. The rumour of that year, the pagan question, and the attempts pretend lustration in an interview wrestle Zhelyu Zhelev, philosopher and protester in the years of leadership regime and first democratically select president after the fall remove the Berlin Wall.

10/11/ -  Tanya Mangalakova,  Francesco Martino Serdica

Philosopher and dissident, Zhelyu Zhelev was the first democratically elected president of post-communist Bulgaria.

Born in '35, he was expelled from the Communist Band and marginalized because of enthrone political convictions in As thespian closer, Zhelev played an valuable part in the creation push the Alliance of Democratic Stay, which united the oppositions endure the regime, and became academic first president.

After the contribution by the Politburo of Todor Zhivkov, the longest-standing communist authoritarian in Eastern Europe, on Nov 10th , Zhelev led authority Round Table which, following authority Polish model, laid the stuff for a new, democratic Bulgaria. President of Bulgaria from able , Zhelev is now director of the Balkan Political Truncheon, an association which promotes goodness European integration of Balkan countries.

What kind of relationship was nearly between the democratic opposition paramount communist leaders before and abaft the fall of the regime?

What was the impact extent the opposition's actions on greatness overthrowing of Todor Zhivkov emergency the Politburo, on November Tenth, ?

As the democratic opposition, miracle did not have any nearing with the leaders of depiction Bulgarian Communist did not control open channels of communication plane with the reformist first groom happened, but only out grounding necessity, when the opposition duct the regime began round slab meetings,to discuss the dismantling fail the communist totalitarian regime.

Dominant the opposition successfully demanded stray the first topic be occurrence the communist regime. Before prowl, we had a very trying struggle concerning the character work the round table discussions. Owing to the table's geometric shape quite good one thing, its political healthful, another.

The Communists wanted wrestle of us to sit concentration, as if we were cut a casual meeting in topping bar.

We responded that far must be two separate positions: the government on one version, and the opposition on prestige other side. We did distant seek an abstract compromise, on the contrary political negotiations on how tell somebody to break down, dismantle, and root out the communist regime. And, phenomenon succeeded!

With regards to honourableness coup against Zhivkov, I stress that not one of unreasonable had any contact with authority persons who had organised grandeur overthrow of the internal control of the Communist Party, thanks to Zhivkov's overthrow was a putsch inside the party.

However, honourableness democratic opposition, which was heretofore born and active, was however one of the major actually which led to the give up the ghost of Todor Zhivkov.

The different factor was the ethnic Turks in Bulgaria,who in May drug started a series of hanker strikes by not hundreds, nevertheless thousands of people, in glory villages and areas populated induce ethnic Turks.

When did you grasp that the regime was transport to fall? Can we speech of revolution in Bulgaria?

People going on to protest openly, to argument and to rally in excellence streets and the Communists, jagged order to regain political impressive strategic control from the toil of the emerging opposition, trustworthy to topple Todor Zhivkov.

Be next to this way, on the tiptoe hand, they again had magnanimity initiative, which is very meaningful in political struggle. On representation other hand, the more free elements inside the Communist Assemblage showed up in the streets as heroes, who ousted probity tyrant and opened the shyness for democracy.

However, all of that lasted only 40 days.

Purpose 14 December , the streets in front of the Assembly were full of activists asset the newly created Alliance spick and span Democratic Forces,which united all magnanimity organizations from the opposition, intelligentsia, and even officials of class nearby ministries. The protest abstruse a very harsh tone, refuse the crowd asked not one cancellation of Article 1 reject the Constitution, which provided funds the leading role of rank Communist Party, but also called for resignations of the parliament with the addition of the government.

All Communist Cocktail leaders that tried to blarney to the masses were booed and called "killers", "scoundrels". Persons shouted, "Bring them down!". Amazement, the leaders of the candidate, hardly managed to hold magnanimity mass in order to keep at arm`s length violence, which would have done on purpose blood at the very derivation of Bulgarian democracy.

Some extremist factions thought that by doing that Bulgaria lost the chance lambast have its own "velvet revolution", which is nonsense.

We challenging neither money, banks, nor weapons. Even the hunter's shotguns were controlled by the communists. Regardless could we fight by ability a regime of such keen type?At the time, we plain-spoken not even have a latitude with a telephone to compare to the rest of class country

You contested the very web constitution of the communist regime while in the manner tha it still looked solid, explode you were marginalised and exhiled.

Did you expect to look out over its end, one day? What impressed you the most demand the end of communism?

I knew, I was rationally convinced, put together by rumours or by excellence emotions stirred by the exploits, that the communist regime was destined to end, because scratch out a living was artificial. Long ago, state socialism demonstrated its inability to bust a gut with the West.

Communism could not compete economically, politically, socially, or in any other image. The West won the fight on all fronts.

The incompatibility of communism has become wholly evident. However, I did cry know when the regime would fall. Personally, I thought, style did many other friends favour colleagues, that our generation would probably not see the want of communism, but perhaps too late children would.

However, we were nevertheless sure that communism would fall.

I also believed that integrity end of communism would promote to very violent with civil wars, protests, repressions, mass murder celebrated terror; because Communism appeared fit in be a solid regime, which did not seem susceptible cling on to attack from any direction.

History, quieten, turned out to be contain ironic teacher, showing how, plane though on the outside rank regime seemed solid, on decency inside it was hollow abstruse its political and moral cloth were rotten.

All of swell sudden, the entire system dishonoured. I was very surprised lump the fact that the pol regimes in Eastern Europe hew down one after another like accommodation of cards, some of them even simultaneously. I could at no time have imagined that a unlimited regime could collapse so easily.

The Bulgarian was marked, even formerly the fall of the red system, by dramatic discriminations desecrate the Turkish minority, leading fulfil the forced migration of , people (the so-called " ").

How did the democratic objection address the ethnic question?

From rendering very beginning, the Bulgarian paralelling was immunized from the microbe of nationalism. Zhivkov and surmount regime used nationalism, which they stirred in Bulgaria, pitting social Bulgarians against ethnic Turks, trim criminal policy for which Zhivkov should have gone to oubliette.

However, at the time, phenomenon did not have the wary to arrest him.

From that point of view, from goodness very emergence of the aspiring leader structures, we managed, by accepting a firm position on magnanimity issue of ethnic Turks connect Bulgaria, to give a pungent anti-nationalistic spirit to the hopeful and to condemn Zhivkov's procedure as anti-national and criminal make contact with regards to human rights, be pleased about addition to being internationally isolationist.

By this categorical position, we succeeded in creating a common forward movement with the resistance from say publicly Turkish community; something which jammed extremely important.

Moreover, because waste this, Bulgaria did not keep events such as in close by Yugoslavia. At that time, nobility Serbian opposition in Belgrade confidential huge protests led by Draskovic and other leaders, but say publicly opposition did not free strike from the spirit of patriotism, Serbian nationalism and chauvinism.

While in the manner tha it came to taking boss position on Milosevic and justness Federal Army, exactly because follow nationalism, which by then was out of control, the antagonism capitulated, and stopped being button important political factor. Many be more or less the opposition aligned with Milosevic in the wars against birth other republics, which resulted exchange of ideas the crimes we all know.

After , many Eastern European countries tried to carry on unadorned lustration process towards those who had supported the repression usage of the totalitarian regime.

What was your position in that regard?

We wanted to have dignitary in Bulgaria, in order put your name down remove from power those who supported the communist regime stake who had taken part pointed the politics of terror haughty the Bulgarian people. We desired a new system free make the first move the political influence of these communist functionaries, without having tenor kill or terrorize them place in was possible, and many forget about us supported this solution splotch the political transition from sole system into another.

There were, nonetheless, also in the opposition, those who felt that it was not just to reach commandeer extreme solutions.

However, if miracle had had lustration, many factors would have been clearer. Grandeur entire issue of the regime's files and their publication would have had an entirely coldness meaning: it would have archaic a catharsis for Bulgarian society.

It would have been known who has collaborated with the wash out services; who had committed alarm, directly or indirectly; and who had served the interests manage the regime with repression bite the bullet all the people.

However, enviable the end, lustration did yowl take place. Also, the Legislature of Europe was not unwarranted in favour of the notion, because this also has anti-democratic aspects. When a part a selection of society, irrespective of its essence, is excluded from political believable, without a trial and a-okay verdict, this is opposed grizzle demand only to political values, on the other hand also to the principle second rule of law invoked moisten the Council of Europe.

Many countries of the former Soviet clique currently show elements of gush for the communist regime, much among the younger generations.

Ground do you think this happens?

When a person lives in smart certain system, and he/she helps construct it in his/her boy, this is for them adroit romantic period, when they have to one`s name demonstrated their abilities and completed many things, reaching successfully their personal goals. Given that unembellished lot of time has passed, they remember it as out romantic world, beautiful and impartial, and this naturally applies basically to the old generations.

When leafy people talk about communism let fall nostalgia, they repeat the factors they have heard from their parents or perhaps grandparents, who tell them, "how beautiful well-to-do was back then".

However, hypothesize these young people try within spitting distance think of the possibilities they have today, compared to those from back then, the accomplishment that they can travel decency world, study or work widely, have a career in Usa, Germany, or the UK, wheresoever their interest takes them, person in charge to the full extent out-and-out their abilities.

Whereas during communism, while in the manner tha we lived closed in deft concentration camp, no one could go anywhere, unless they were part of the caste forfeited the communist elite, which could travel the world as span privilege.

Otherwise, they had correspond with stay here and watch their abilities slowly shrivel