Ivan Kostov
| Ivan Yordanov Kostov (Иван Йорданов Костов) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 47th Prime Minister of Bulgaria | |
| In office 21 May 1997 – 24 July 2001 | |
| President | Petur Stoyanov |
| Preceded by | Stefan Sofiyanski (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 December 1949 Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Political party | Union of Democratic Forces, Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria |
| Spouse(s) | Elena Kostova |
| Alma mater | University of National and World Economy, Sofia University |
| Profession | Economist |
Ivan Yordanov Kostov (Bulgarian: Иван Йорданов Костов) (born 23 December 1949 in Sofia) was Prime Minister of Bulgaria from May 1997 to July 2001 and leader of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF) between December 1994 and July 2001.
Ivan Kostov graduated in Economics from the Karl Marx Higher Institute of Economics (today's University of National and World Economy) in Sofia in 1974, and later earned a Ph.D. in Mathematical Modeling of Economic Processes from Sofia University. He then worked as an associate professor at Sofia Technical University and entered politics after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Bulgarian communist dictator, Todor Zhivkov. Kostov became an economic expert for the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF). His political career began as Member of Parliament in the 7th Grand National Assembly in 1990 (he has been re-elected to Parliament ever since) and he went on to become Bulgaria's Finance Minister in the two consecutive governments of Dimitar Popov (December 1990 – October 1991) and Filip Dimitrov (November 1991 – December 1992).
Kostov was elected chairman of the UDF in 1994. In late 1996 and early 1997, mass protests took place against Bulgarian Socialist Party's government which had led the country to hyperinflation and a complete crisis, and those protests ultimately led to the fall of the current government. UDF won the May 1997 elections, and Kostov became Bulgaria's Prime Minister, his cabinet eventually becoming the country's first post-communist government to serve its full 4-year term. He is credited with turning around his country's fortunes, starting sustainable economic growth, and establishing a path towards Bulgaria's complete integration with the West. Under his government, long-delayed economic reforms were carried out, including privatization of state-owned enterprises was carried on a large scale and the country started long-sought accession talks with the European Union (which Bulgaria joined on January 1, 2007). Additionally, during the war in Kosovo he took some difficult but ultimately beneficial decisions, such as to allow NATO but not Russia to use Bulgaria's airspace, and also not to allow refugees from Kosovo to enter Bulgaria.
On the other hand, Kostov's rule was characterized by media claims for massive mismanagement and corruption. A number of major soviet era enterprises were sold out apiece under the label of "privatization", and all of them eventually bankrupted. Capital stocks of state companies were deformed by government officials, while their equipment was sold out. An example of such a scheme was the privatization of Balkan Airlines in 1999, the country's national air service, which was sold for $130,000,000 and bankrupted in 2002 after most of its equipment and immovable property was sold out. While successful in stabilizing the country, Bulgaria's current account balance started growing negative. [citation needed].
Some of Kostov's privatization policies were criticized by his opponents from the Bulgarian Socialist Party. Ultimately the UDF lost in the June 2001 election to the newly formed National Movement Simeon II. Kostov resigned as chair of the UDF and eventually left the party to establish, in 2004, a new political force, Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB). He chaired DSB until June 2013.[1]
Support for Fiscal Rules
In 2010, the GERB government of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov proposed instituting a tight fiscal rule in the Bulgarian Constitution, namely that the budget deficit could not exceed 2% of GDP in any one year. The proposal was supported by Ivan Kostov and his party Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria and Parliament adopted it in November 2010. Kostov's Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria supported several other initiatives by GERB's government, including the ban on smoking in public places, and the pension reform proposed by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov.
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