Georgi Parvanov

Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov (Bulgarian: Георги Седефчов Първанов, IPA: [ˈɡjɔrɡi pɐrˈvanof]) (born 28 June 1957) is a Bulgarian historian and politician who was the president of Bulgaria from 2002 to 2012. He was elected after defeating incumbent Petar Stoyanov in the second round of the November 2001 presidential election. He took office on January 22, 2002. He was reelected in 2006 with 75.9% of the vote, becoming the first Bulgarian president to serve two terms. Parvanov supported and promoted Bulgaria's accession to NATO (2004) and the EU (2007).

Although not explicitly required by the Constitution, Bulgarian presidents traditionally suspend party membership while in office. Parvanov left the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) after his election in 2001. Although he identified as a socialist, Parvanov often called himself a 'social president'.

After completing his second term as president, Parvanov returned to the Socialist Party, prompting a dispute over the party leadership. In January 2014, Parvanov revived the ABV project—which later became a political party—announcing he would be fielding his own candidates for the 2014 European parliamentary elections. On 15 January 2017, he stepped down as party leader and was replaced by Konstantin Prodanov.