List of heads of state of Bulgaria

This is a list of the heads of the modern Bulgarian state, from the establishment of the Principality of Bulgaria to the present day.

It also lists the general secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1948–1990. From 1948 onwards, the general secretary was the country's de facto chief executive.

Principality of Bulgaria (1878–1908)

Prince			Reign			House	Claim
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Reign start	Reign end	Duration
	File:Alexander I of Bulgaria by Dimitar Karastoyanov.jpg	Alexander I 1857–1893 (Lived: 36 years)	29 April 1879	7 September 1886 (Abdicated)	Template:Age in years and days	Battenberg	Elected by the First Grand National Assembly
	File:Zar Ferdinand Bulgarien.jpg	Ferdinand I 1861–1948 (Lived: 87 years)	7 July 1887	5 October 1908	Template:Age in years and days	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry	Elected by the Third Grand National Assembly

Tsardom of Bulgaria (1908–1946)

  Denotes Regent

Tsar			Reign			House	Claim
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Reign start	Reign end	Duration
	File:Zar Ferdinand Bulgarien.jpg	Ferdinand I 1861–1948 (Lived: 87 years)	5 October 1908	3 October 1918 (Abdicated)	Template:Age in years and days	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry	Proclaimed himself as Tsar
	File:Boris III of Bulgaria.jpg	Boris III 1894–1943 (Lived: 49 years)	3 October 1918	28 August 1943 (Died)	Template:Age in years and days	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry	Son of Ferdinand I
	File:BASA-3K-15-302-26-Simeon-The Prince of Turnovo.jpeg	Simeon II Born 1937 ( years old)	28 August 1943	15 September 1946 (Monarchy abolished)	Template:Age in years and days	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry	Son of Boris III
	File:BASA-3K-15-273-9-Prince Kyril of Bulgaria.jpeg	Kiril, Prince of Preslav 1895–1945 (Lived: 49 years)	28 August 1943	9 September 1944 (Deposed)	Template:Age in years and days	Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry	First Regency Council For Simeon II
	File:Богдан Филов.jpg	Bogdan Filov 1883–1945 (Lived: 61 years)				—
	File:BASA-3K-15-250-9-Nikola Mihov (cropped).jpg	Lt. General Nikola Mihov 1891–1945 (Lived: 53 years)
	File:Todor Pavlov.jpg	Todor Pavlov 1890–1977 (Lived: 87 years)	9 September 1944	15 September 1946 (Monarchy abolished)	Template:Age in years and days	—	Second Regency Council For Simeon II
	File:BASA 118K-2-87 Venelin Ganev (retouched).jpg	Venelin Ganev 1880–1966 (Lived: 86 years)
	File:Tsvyatko Boboshevski.png	Tsvetko Boboshevski 1884–1952 (Lived: 68 years)

People's Republic of Bulgaria (1946–1990)

Status

  Denotes Acting Head of State

Head of State			Term of office			Duration	Political party
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Election	Took office	Left office
Chairman of the Provisional Presidency
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:V.kolarov.jpg	Vasil Kolarov 1877–1950 (Lived: 72 years)	—	15 September 1946	9 December 1947	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-S99287, Berlin, III. SED-Parteitag, Rede Mintscho Neitschev cropped.jpg	Mincho Neychev 1887–1956 (Lived: 69 years)	—	9 December 1947	27 May 1950	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:No image.svg	Georgi Damyanov 1892–1958 (Lived: 66 years)	—	27 May 1950	27 November 1958†	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Georgi Kulishev portrait.jpg	Georgi Kulishev 1885–1974 (Lived: 89 years)	—	27 November 1958	30 November 1958	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:No image.svg	Template:Ill 1906–1987 (Lived: 81 years)	—				BZNS
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:No image.svg	Dimitar Ganev 1898–1964 (Lived: 65 years)	—	30 November 1958	20 April 1964†	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Georgi Kulishev portrait.jpg	Georgi Kulishev 1885–1974 (Lived: 89 years)	—	20 April 1964	23 April 1964	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:No image.svg	Template:Ill 1906–1987 (Lived: 81 years)	—				BZNS
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Kongres of MFO 1923 (Georgi Traychev).jpg	Georgi Traykov 1898–1975 (Lived: 76 years)	—	23 April 1964	7 July 1971	Template:Age in years and days	BZNS
Chairman of the State Council
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Todor Zhivkov , eerste secretaris Communistische Partij en president van Bulgari, Bestanddeelnr 924-8077 (cropped).jpg	Todor Zhivkov 1911–1998 (Lived: 86 years)	—	7 July 1971	17 November 1989	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Petar Mladenov 1978 (cropped).jpg	Petar Mladenov 1936–2000 (Lived: 63 years)	—	17 November 1989	3 April 1990	Template:Age in years and days	BKP
Chairman (President) of the Republic
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Petar Mladenov 1978 (cropped).jpg	Petar Mladenov 1936–2000 (Lived: 63 years)	(Apr) 1990	3 April 1990	6 July 1990	Template:Age in years and days	BSP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Stanko Todorov.jpg	Stanko Todorov 1920–1996 (Lived: 76 years)	—	6 July 1990	17 July 1990	Template:Age in years and days	BSP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Nikolai Todorov (1972).tiff	Nikolai Todorov 1921–2003 (Lived: 82 years)	—	17 July 1990	1 August 1990	Template:Age in years and days	BSP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Zhelev-1990.jpg	Zhelyu Zhelev 1935–2015 (Lived: 79 years)	(Jul–Aug) 1990	1 August 1990	15 November 1990	Template:Age in years and days	SDS

General Secretaries of the Bulgarian Communist Party (1948–1990)

General Secretary			Term of office			Notes
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Took office	Left office	Duration
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Georgi Dimitrow.png	Georgi Dimitrov 1882–1949 (Lived: 67 years)	27 December 1948	2 July 1949	Template:Age in years and days	Also Prime Minister (1946–1949)
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Valko Chervenkov.jpg	Valko Chervenkov 1900–1980 (Lived: 80 years)	2 July 1949	4 March 1954	Template:Age in years and days	Also Prime Minister (1950–1956)
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Todor Zhivkov , eerste secretaris Communistische Partij en president van Bulgari, Bestanddeelnr 924-8077 (cropped).jpg	Todor Zhivkov 1911–1998 (Lived: 86 years)	4 March 1954	10 November 1989	Template:Age in years and days	Also Prime Minister (1962–1971), and Chairman of the Council of State (1971–1989)
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Petar Mladenov 1978 (cropped).jpg	Petar Mladenov 1936–2000 (Lived: 63 years)	10 November 1989	2 February 1990	Template:Age in years and days	Also Chairman of the Council of State (1989–1990)

Republic of Bulgaria (1990–present)

President			Term of office			Duration	Political party
	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Election	Took office	Left office
Chairman (President) of the Republic
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Zhelev-1990.jpg	Zhelyu Zhelev 1935–2015 (Lived: 79 years)	(Jul-Aug) 1990	15 November 1990	22 January 1992	Template:Age in years and days	SDS
President of the Republic
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Zhelev 1996 (cropped).jpg	Zhelyu Zhelev 1935–2015 (Lived: 79 years)	1992	22 January 1992	22 January 1997	Template:Age in years years	SDS
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Flickr - europeanpeoplesparty - EPP Congress Rome 2006 (48) (cropped).jpg	Petar Stoyanov Born 1952 ( years old)	1996	22 January 1997	22 January 2002	Template:Age in years years	SDS
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Georgi Parvanov Senate of Poland 01 (cropped).jpg	Georgi Parvanov Born 1957 ( years old)	2001 2006	22 January 2002	22 January 2012	Template:Age in years years	BSP
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:BG President Rosen Plevneliev (crop2).JPG	Rosen Plevneliev Born 1964 ( years old)	2011	22 January 2012	22 January 2017	Template:Age in years years	GERB
style="background:Template:Party color;" |	File:Rumen Radev official (cropped).jpg	Rumen Radev Born 1963 ( years old)	2016 2021	22 January 2017	IncumbentTemplate:Efn	Template:Age in years and days	Independent (BSP–nominated)

Timeline

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Define $today = 08/05/2026

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DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1879 till:31/12/2027 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal ScaleMajor = gridcolor:gray1 unit:year increment:10 start:1880 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:gray2 unit:year increment:1 start:1879

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bar:Zhivkov
bar:Kulishev
bar:Georgiev
bar:Ganev
bar:Traykov
bar:Mladenov
bar:Todorov
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bar:Zhelev
bar:Stoyanov
bar:Parvanov
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bar:AlexanderI
 from: 29/04/1879 till: 07/09/1886 color:Battenberg  text:"Alexander I"
bar:FerdinandI
 from: 07/07/1887 till: 03/10/1918 color:S-C-G-K     text:"Ferdinand I"
bar:BorisIII
 from: 03/10/1918 till: 28/08/1943 color:S-C-G-K     text:"Boris III"
bar:SimeonII
 from: 28/08/1943 till: 15/09/1946 color:S-C-G-K     text:"Simeon II"
bar:Dimitrov
 from: 01/01/1946 till: 02/07/1949 color:bcp         text:"Georgi Dimitrov (de-facto)"
bar:Kolarov
 from: 15/09/1946 till: 09/12/1947 color:bcp         text:"Vasil Kolarov"
bar:Neychev
 from: 09/12/1947 till: 27/05/1950 color:bcp         text:"Mincho Neychev"
bar:Chervenkov
 from: 02/07/1949 till: 04/03/1954 color:bcp         text:"Valko Chervenkov (de-facto)"
bar:Damyanov
 from: 27/05/1950 till: 27/11/1958 color:bcp         text:"Georgi Damyanov"
bar:Zhivkov
 from: 04/03/1954 till: 10/11/1989 color:bcp         text:"Todor Zhivkov (de-facto)"
bar:Kulishev
 from: 27/11/1958 till: 30/11/1958 color:bcp
 from: 20/04/1964 till: 23/04/1964 color:bcp         text:"Georgi Kulishev (acting)"
bar:Georgiev
 from: 27/11/1958 till: 30/11/1958 color:bzns
 from: 20/04/1964 till: 23/04/1964 color:bzns        text:"Nikolay Georgiev (acting)"
bar:Ganev
 from: 30/11/1958 till: 20/04/1964 color:bcp         text:"Dimitar Ganev"
bar:Traykov
 from: 23/04/1964 till: 07/07/1971 color:bzns        text:"Georgi Traykov"
bar:Mladenov
 from: 10/11/1989 till: 03/04/1990 color:bcp
 from: 03/04/1990 till: 06/07/1990 color:bsp         text:"Petar Mladenov"
bar:Todorov
 from: 06/07/1990 till: 17/07/1990 color:bsp         text:"Stanko Todorov (acting)"
bar:Todorov1
 from: 17/07/1990 till: 01/08/1990 color:independent text:"Nikolai Todorov (acting)"
bar:Zhelev
 from: 01/08/1990 till: 22/01/1997 color:sds         text:"Zhelyu Zhelev"
bar:Stoyanov
 from: 22/01/1997 till: 22/01/2002 color:sds         text:"Petar Stoyanov"
bar:Parvanov
 from: 22/01/2002 till: 22/01/2012 color:bsp         text:"Georgi Parvanov"
bar:Plevneliev
 from: 22/01/2012 till: 22/01/2017 color:gerb        text:"Rosen Plevneliev"
bar:Radev
 from: 22/01/2017 till: $today     color:independent text:"Rumen Radev"

</timeline>

Head of state titles

State	Years	Title
Template:Country data Principality of Bulgaria	1879–1908	Prince of Bulgaria
Template:Country data Tsardom of Bulgaria (1908–1946)	1908–1946	Tsar of Bulgaria
Template:Country data People's Republic of Bulgaria	1946–1947	Chairman of the Provisional Presidency
	1947–1971	Chairman of the Presidium of the National Assembly
	1971–1990	Chairman of the State Council
	1990	Chairman (President) of the Republic
Template:Country data Republic of Bulgaria	1990–1992
	1992–present	President of the Republic

See also

• Politics of Bulgaria
• List of Bulgarian monarchs
• List of Bulgarian regents
• List of heads of government of Bulgaria
• List of presidents of Bulgaria (1990–present)
• List of first deputy chairmen of the State Council of Bulgaria
• Vice President of Bulgaria

External links

• List of Bulgarian heads of state and government
• The President of the Republic of Bulgaria
• King Simeon