Aleksi Ivanov Vasilev ( Bulgarian: Алекси Иванов Василев), born Alexe Ion Bădărău (October 22, 1922 – June 9, 1997) was a

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 ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from the Bulgarian Agrarian People's Union who was Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the government of Georgi Atanasov from March 24, 1986, until December 19, 1988, and Deputy Chairman of Council of Ministers.

Early life

He was born in

Mihail Kogălniceanu, Tulcea Mihail Kogălniceanu () is a commune in Tulcea County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Lăstuni (formerly ''Hagilar''), Mihail Kogălniceanu (formerly ''Enichioi''), and Rândunica (formerly ''Kongaz'' or ''Congaz''). ...

to a Romanian father and Bulgarian mother. He graduated from junior high school in his native village in Romania, then in 1936 - 1938 he was a worker in a factory for hemp and manila ropes in Tulcea. In 1939, he returned to his village.

Military service and move to Bulgaria

In November 1940, he was called up for regular military service in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces () is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces. The Romanian Land Forc ...

's 2nd Army Corps in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

. That month, he and his family went to Bulgaria, where he unofficially changed his name to Alexi Ivanov. In 1943-1945 he served regularly in the All-Army Truck Regiment of the

Bulgarian Army The Bulgarian Army (), also called Bulgarian Armed Forces, is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in ...

in Sofia, where he participated in the air defense of capital during the Bombing of Sofia by the

US Air force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. He took part with the regiment in which he served in the

1944 Bulgarian coup d'état The 1944 Bulgarian coup d'état, also known as the 9 September coup d'état (), was a coup that overthrew the government of Kingdom of Bulgaria on the eve of 9 September 1944. During the People's Republic of Bulgaria it was called using the pr ...

. Immediately after the 9 September coup, he served in the Ministry of War and in February–May 1945 he participated in combat operations against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

as part of the First Army.

Communist era

He was the Deputy Chairman of Council of Ministers, Chairman of the Council for Agriculture and Forestry Economy and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the government of Georgi Atanasov from March 24, 1986, until December 19, 1988. He was also deputy chairman of the

Bulgarian Agrarian National Union The Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Bulgarian Agrarian National U ...

responsible for organizational, political and ideological issues from December 1, 1976, until December 2, 1989, and he closely followed the lead of the chairman of the Agrarian Union during communism in Bulgaria, Petar Tanchev. He died on June 9, 1997, in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

Crimes and accusations

After the democratic changes in

in 1989 he was indicted and brought to justice: * In 1991 in the case against the Permanent Presence of the Bulgarian Agrarian Union-Kazionen for complicity with the

Bulgarian Communist Party The Bulgarian Communist Party ( Bulgarian: Българска комунистическа партия (БΚП), Romanised: ''Bŭlgarska komunisticheska partiya''; BKP) was the founding and ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria f ...

in the

Revival process The "Revival Process" or the "Process of Rebirth" () refers to a policy of forced assimilation practiced by the communist Bulgarian government in the 1980s (1984-1989). It was the culmination of a series of repressive assimilationist campaigns ...

. * In 1991, for grants and armaments provided from the state budget to foreign fraternal parties that maintained ties with the Agrarian Union until 1989, in his capacity as Secretary of the Permanent Presence of the Agrarian Union until 1989. * In 1993, in Case No. 3 for grants, weapons and military equipment provided to Third World countries. * In 1993, for his responsibility for financing the Agrarian Union with funds from the state budget, known as Enlightenment "B", which were withdrawn by order of Alexi Ivanov, which the Prosecutor General's Office considers illegally used by the Agrarian Union.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivanov, Alexi Bulgarian Agrarian National Union politicians Government ministers of Bulgaria 1922 births 1997 deaths People from Tulcea County Romanian people of Bulgarian descent Bulgarian people of Romanian descent Deputy prime ministers of Bulgaria