Aleksandar Pavlov Malinov ( bg, Александър Павлов Малинов) (3 May 1867 – 20 March 1938) was a leading

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

n politician who served as

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

on three occasions. He was born in Pandakli,

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...

(present-day Orihivka,

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

) in a family of

Bessarabian Bulgarians The Bessarabian Bulgarians ( bg, бесарабски българи, ''besarabski bǎlgari'', ro, bulgari basarabeni, uk, бесарабські болгари, ''bessarabski bolháry'') are a Bulgarian minority group of the historical region ...

. Malinov was known for his support for close ties to

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and he pursued this policy during his first ministry of 1908-1911. Malinov, who veered towards

liberalism Liberalism is a Political philosophy, political and moral philosophy based on the Individual rights, rights of the individual, liberty, consent of the governed, political equality and equality before the law."political rationalism, hostilit ...

, presided over a relatively unremarkable tenure during which his main concern was stabilising the newly independent country. He was vehemently opposed to the increasing economic links with

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

which followed his period of office. He urged Vasil Radoslavov to follow a policy of neutrality after the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, fearing that Germany would simply exploit Bulgarian resources for her own war effort. He was recalled as Prime Minister in 1918 specifically to attempt to negotiate an

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

with the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

as he had a reputation for moderation and consensus building. After these attempts failed Malinov vowed to fight on, although when a new investment of German money did not materialise he was forced to look for peace. Although Malinov had been appointed as he was seen by both the Tsar and Germany as a trustworthy hand, his position was severely weakened by the fact that the army had lost all interest in the war. He oversaw Bulgarian surrender but resigned on 28 November 1918 after

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

occupied the

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...

region. Malinov briefly returned at the head of a further Democratic Party government in 1931, although his administration proved short-lived. This government sought to improve Bulgaria's relations with her neighbours and to this end oversaw the arrest of a number of prominent Macedonians, although ultimately Malinov's failing health meant that it was a short-lived administration.S.G. Evans, ''A Short History of Bulgaria'', London, Lawrence and Wishart, 1960, p. 171 One of the main boulevards in Sofia's Mladost district bears the name of Aleksandar Malinov, as does the adjacent

Aleksandar Malinov Metro Station Aleksandar Malinov Metro Station ( bg, Метростанция "Александър Малинов") is a station on the Sofia Metro in Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) i ...

Sofia Metro The Sofia Metro ( bg, Софийски метрополитен, translit=Sofijski Metropoliten, also colloquially called ) is the rapid transit network servicing the Bulgarian capital city Sofia. It began operation on 28 January 1998. , the Sofi ...

's Line 1. He was married to the suffragist and women's rights activist

Julia Malinova Julia Malinova, née ''Jakovlevna Scheider'' ( bg, Юлия Маринова (Яковлевна Шнайдер)) (1869-1953), was a Bulgarian suffragist and women's rights activist. She was co-founder of the Bulgarian Women's Union, and served as ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malinov, Aleksandar 1867 births 1938 deaths Chairpersons of the National Assembly of Bulgaria People from Odesa Oblast Bessarabian Bulgarians Democratic Party (Bulgaria) politicians Prime Ministers of Bulgaria Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) 20th-century Bulgarian politicians