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Nikolay Tsonev | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 24 April 2008 – 27 July 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Sergei Stanishev |
| Preceded by | Veselin Bliznakov |
| Succeeded by | Nickolay Mladenov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 June 1956 Pernik, Bulgaria |
| Political party | New Alternative (since 2012) |
| Other political affiliations | Bulgarian Communist Party (before 1989) Independent (1989–2001) NMSP (2001–2012) |
| Profession | Military officer, politician, businessman |
Nikolay Georgiev Tsonev (Bulgarian: Николай Георгиев Цонев; born 9 June 1956) is a military officer in the Bulgarian Armed Forces, entrepreneur, politician, leader of the political party New Alternative (2012-2022) and former Minister of Defence in the period 2008-2009. In fulfilment of his managerial positions, he is responsible for a number of strategic reforms in the Bulgarian Army, specifically these in the Security sector.
During his tenure as minister, he amended the Defence and Armed Forces Act and provided armed forces personnel with numerous social incentives. Along with this, he undertook financial optimizations that allowed the budget of the Ministry of Defence to reach a size of nearly 2% of Bulgaria's gross domestic product.
Before becoming a Minister of Defence, Nikolay Tsonev worked as a manager of several companies engaged in the field of light industry. From 1999 to 2000, he headed the Supply Management Directorate at the Ministry of Defence. In 2001, he became a ministerial adviser to the Minister of Defence Nikolay Svinarov, and in 2002 he headed the Executive Agency "Social Activities at the Ministry of Defence".