Kiril Petkov | |
|---|---|
Кирил Петков | |
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Prime Minister of Bulgaria | |
| In office 13 December 2021 – 2 August 2022 | |
| President | Rumen Radev |
| Deputy | Asen Vasilev Korneliya Ninova Borislav Sandov Grozdan Karadjov Kalina Konstantinova |
| Preceded by | Stefan Yanev |
| Succeeded by | Galab Donev |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 19 October 2022 | |
| Constituency | 23rd MMC - Sofia |
| Leader of We Continue the Change | |
| Assumed office 19 September 2021 Serving with Asen Vasilev | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Minister of Economy and Industry | |
| In office 12 May 2021 – 16 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Stefan Yanev |
| Preceded by | Lachezar Borisov |
| Succeeded by | Daniela Vezieva |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kiril Petkov Petkov 17 April 1980 Plovdiv, PR Bulgaria |
| Citizenship | |
| Political party | DaB (2017-2021) PP (2021-present) |
| Spouse |
Linda Petkova (m. 2000) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation |
|
Kiril Petkov Petkov (Bulgarian: Кирил Петков Петков; born 17 April 1980) is a Bulgarian politician, economist, and entrepreneur, who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from December 2021 to August 2022.[1] He is the co-leader of We Continue the Change, a political party he co-founded with Asen Vasilev.
Petkov was born in Plovdiv, but grew up in Sofia and was educated by his parents, who were both teachers. He grew up with grandparents from different parts of his family. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in finance from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Business Administration degree from Harvard University.
Petkov and Vasilev stated that they would start their own political project that would be an alternative anti-corruption party which could be seen as a "uniting force" between the other parties. Petkov, together with Asen Vasilev, they both formed the coalition We Continue the Change in late September 2021. Beforehand, they held temporary ministerial posts in Stefan Yanev's government. Stopping corruption, creating more possibilities for small and medium-sized firms, and luring high-tech investments have been the party's top concerns.[2]
He became prime minister after the 2021 Bulgarian general election, which his party reached a deal to form a coalition with the left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), the populist There is Such a People (ITN) and the liberal Democratic Bulgaria, united under the motto "zero tolerance to corruption", for a four-year term Together, they have 134 seats in Bulgaria’s 240-seat parliament.[3] During his tenure, he opted for "real diversification" by constructing a gas interconnector from Komotini to Stara Zagora together with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which Azeri gas would pass through.[4][5] In foreign policy, Petkov advocated his support for Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine and anonymously supplied it because of the pro-Moscow politicians in government.[6] His coalition government collapsed in June 2022 and put the blame on Russia and the Bulgarian mafia.[7]
- ^ "Galab Donev Appointed Caretaker PM". bta.bg. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
- ^ "New Anti-Corruption Party Leads in Bulgarian Parliamentary Elections". Balkan Insight. 15 November 2021.
- ^ "Harvard-educated Petkov elected as Bulgaria's prime minister". Reuters. 13 December 2021.
- ^ "Kiril Petkov: Azeri gas will flow via the high-profile interconnector Greece-Bulgaria in September". bnr.bg. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Prime Minister Kiril Petkov: Now Bulgaria has an alternative gas supply route that is the way to real diversification". gov.bg. 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Die Welt: Bulgaria "secretly" saved Ukraine at the beginning of the war". bnr.bg. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Bulgaria's Petkov points finger at mafia and Russia as government collapses". POLITICO. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2024.