Aleksandar Pavlov Malinov (; 3 May 1867 – 20 March 1938) was a leading

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

n politician who served as

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

on three occasions. He was born in Pandakli,

Bessarabia Bessarabia () 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 of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

(present-day Orikhivka,

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) in a family of

Bessarabian Bulgarians The Bessarabian Bulgarians (; ; ) are a Bulgarian minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine (Budjak region of the Odesa Oblast) and Moldova. Location and number Modern Ukraine In Ukraine, ...

. Malinov was known for his support for close ties to

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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, the right to private property, and equality before the law. ...

, 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

which followed his period of office. He urged

Vasil Radoslavov Vasil Hristov Radoslavov () (27 July 1854 – 21 October 1929) was a leading Bulgarian liberalism, liberal politician who twice served as List of Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, prime minister. He was premier of the country throughout most of W ...

to follow a policy of neutrality after the outbreak of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 t ...

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 an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

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 is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

occupied the

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; or ''Dobrudža''; , or ; ; Dobrujan Tatar: ''Tomrîğa''; Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and ) is a Geography, geographical and historical region in Southeastern Europe that has been divided since the 19th century betw ...

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 on Sofia Metro's Line 1. He was married to the suffragist and women's rights activist Julia Malinova.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malinov, Aleksandar 1867 births 1938 deaths Chairpersons of the National Assembly of Bulgaria People from Bolhrad Raion Bessarabian Bulgarians Democratic Party (Bulgaria) politicians Prime ministers of Bulgaria Members of the National Assembly (Bulgaria) 20th-century Bulgarian politicians Politicians from the Russian Empire