biography
pronunciation:
[zhivkof]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1911–98)
|
| biography:
| Bulgarian statesman, prime minister (1962–71), and president (1971–89), born in Botevgrad, WC Bulgaria. He joined the (illegal) Communist Party in 1932, fought with the Bulgarian resistance in 1943, and took part in the Sofia coup that overthrew the pro-German regime in 1944. He became first secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1954, prime minister in 1962 and, as chairman of the Council of State in 1971, became effectively the president of the People's Republic. His period in office was characterized by unquestioned loyalty to the Soviet Union, and conservative policy-making, which led to mounting economic problems in the 1980s. He was eventually ousted in 1989 by the reformist Petar Mladenov in a committee-room coup and, with his health failing, was subsequently expelled from the Party, placed under house arrest, on charges of nepotism, corruption, embezzlement of $1 million, and the dictatorial abuse of power. He was found guilty and sentenced to seven years imprisonment in 1992. |
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