Bulgaria Ex-Communist Spies Run For Office

The Bulgarian Parliament building in downtwon Sofia. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency

The Post Chronicle

Bulgarian officials say 142 people running for parliamentary elections were alleged agents of the secret police while the communist regime was in place.

Bulgaria's Files Commission checked 3,234 people competing as candidates in Sunday's general elections, the Bulgarian news agency SNA reported Tuesday.

The body, whose full title is the Commission for Declaring Affiliation of Bulgarian Citizens with the State Security and the Intelligence Services of the Bulgarian People's Army, alleges 142 candidates were secret service collaborators until the overthrow of the communist regime in 1991.

SNA said the candidates' former roles have no legal impact on their current positions.

The report said Ahmed Dogan, incumbent leader of the ethnic Turk Movement for Rights and Freedom, or DPS, was a known member of the communist counter-espionage service. Twenty-four other former agents are also DPS candidates, SNA said.

Incumbent Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov has denied allegations he was a former communist agent, the report said. 

 

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