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Project Director of Wonderland Bulgaria |
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Project Director of Wonderland Bulgaria |
Petko Simeonov was born in the town of Ferdinand /present-day city of Montana/, Bulgaria, on 11 May 1942.
He finished high school at his home town.Philosophy graduate from the St. Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia, 1967.
He worked at the Sociological Youth Research Centre and as editor with the Mladezh youth magazine.
Ph.D. /1982/, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences /1969-1990; 2001 - /. IS Research Work Secretary.Founder and deputy editor-in-chief of the Sotsiologicheski pregled bulletin.
Deputy editor-in-chief of the Troud daily on a public service principle, responsible for its Sociologist's Club section.Member of the Club for Glasnost and Democracy in Bulgaria founded on 3 November, 1988.
Co-founder of the Union of Democratic Forces in late 1989.February 1990 - head of the Central Election Club of the UDF in the election campaign for the first free elections in Bulgaria; Director of the Demokratsiya daily; in May 1990 elected Deputy Chaiman of the UDF /until July 1991/.
President since its foundation of the Federation of Clubs for Glasnost and Democracy /FCGD/ - the former Club for Glasnost and Democracy in Bulgaria renamed in January 1990.UDF delegate to the Round Table where the opposition UDF and the governing BSP negotiated the terms of holding the elections for a Grand National Assembly and adopted a number of documents laying the foundations of the nation's new political system. Member of what was known as the Round Table Contact Group.
UDF deputy to the 7th Grand National Assembly. Initiator and Chairman of the Population Policy Committee. (This Committee was eliminated in the next National Assembly.)
Director of the Foreign Aid Agency (January 1991 - July 1992).Petko Simeonov was among the MP's who signed the New Bulgarian Constitution /12 July, 1991/.
In July 1991, together with several other members of the FCGD, Simeonov left the UDF coalition thus getting involved in what became known as the first wave of splitting /'peeling away'/ from the Union.Co-president of the UDF-Liberals election coalition established on 18 July 1991 by the FCGD together with the Green Party led by Alexander Karakachanov and the Democratic Party - Conservative Alliance led by Stefan Stoyanov.
On 3 November 1991 the Federation changed its name to Party of Liberals, with Petko Simeonov in the lead.
President of the Bulgarian Democratic Centre coalition.
Since 1992 leader of the Bulgarian Party of Liberals /BPL/ constituted on 20 December 1992 in Sofia during the Unification Congress of the Party of Liberals and the National Democracy Party. His publications and public statements for the period are an illustration of his activities in the years 1991-1995.During the 1996 presidential election supported the BSP nominee, Ivan Marazov (with Irina Bokova as vice-president candidate). After the election he withdrew from active political work and focused on his writings.
In the summer of 2001 he resumed his earlier job at the Institute of Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Science.
Lecturer at the Plovdiv University (2004 - ).
Author of Individual Activity /scholarly monograph/, 1982; Two Steps Leading to the Roof, 1987, 1997 /novel/; Saint Petka of Bulgaria, 1992 /novel/; The Chicken on the Planing Machine, 1995 /short novels/; The Grand Change, 1996 /documentary account/, second expanded edition 2006; Years of the Hare, 1998 /novel/, Oculus Columbi, in: Savremennik, 1999, No 1 /short noverl/; Transportation of a Bottle of Vinegar, 1999, OMDA /anti-utopia/; The Age-Old Flight from Poverty, 2000 (political journalism); Bottle of Vinegar, 2005, short novels.
Married, with four daughters.
Perspective of the day
