The vice president of the Republic of Bulgaria is the principal assistant to the president of Bulgaria and the first in the line of succession to the presidency. It is the only active vice presidential office in the European Union (EU).Another EU member state, Cyprus, also has a post of Vice President, although since 1974 that post has remained vacant.
The vice president is elected by popular vote every five years alongside the president. The most recent election took place in 2021. The office has been vacant since 23 January 2026, when Iliana Iotova succeeded to the presidency upon the resignation of Rumen Radev.
Role The primary role of the vice president is to assume the duties of the president in case of the president's death, resignation, removal from office or other incapacity. The vice president is also tasked with assisting the president in exercising official functions. The Constitution explicitly allows the president to delegate several functions including: the appointment and removal of state officials, grant and remove Bulgarian citizenship and asylum, and exercise clemency.
List of vice presidents (1990–present) Elected by parliament, 1990–1992 The following vice presidents were elected by the parliament.
Vice Chairman(Vice President)Term of officePolitical partyChairman(President) PortraitName(Born–Died) Took office Left office Duration Atanas SemerdzhievАтанас Семерджиев(1924–2015) 1 August 1990 22 January 1992 Bulgarian Socialist Party Zhelyu Zhelev
Directly elected, 1992–present The following vice-presidents were elected by the people.
Vice PresidentTerm of officePolitical partyPresident PortraitName(Born–Died) Took office Left office Duration Blaga DimitrovaБлага Димитрова(1922–2003) 22 January 1992 6 July 1993 Union of Democratic Forces Zhelyu Zhelev Vacant 6 July 1993 22 January 1997 Vacant Todor KavaldzhievТодор Кавалджиев(1934–2019) 22 January 1997 22 January 2002 United Democratic Forces Petar StoyanovAngel MarinАнгел Марин(1942–2024) 22 January 2002 22 January 2012 Bulgarian Socialist Party Georgi Parvanov Margarita PopovaМаргарита Попова(born 1956) 22 January 2012 22 January 2017 Independent / GERB Rosen Plevneliev Iliana IotovaИлиана Йотова(born 1964) 22 January 2017 23 January 2026 Bulgarian Socialist Party Rumen Radev Vacant 23 January 2026 Incumbent Vacant Iliana Iotova
See also History of Bulgaria Politics of Bulgaria List of first deputy chairmen of the State Council of Bulgaria List of heads of state of Bulgaria List of current vice presidents and designated acting presidents
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