Sergey Stanishev
Prime Minister
Born on May 5, 1966, in the town of Herson, Ukraine. In 1989 graduated with honours from the History Department of Moscow State University. Five years later defended a doctoral thesis. In 1998 specialized in political sciences at the Moscow School of Political Studies. In the period 1999–2000 specialized in international relations at the London School of Economy and Political Science. 1994–1995 he worked as a free-lance journalist.
In the period 1995–1996 he was a chief expert and in 1996–2001 head of the Foreign Policy and International Activity department of the Supreme Council (SC) of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). In May 2000 he was elected a member and in December 2001 chairman of the SC of BSP and of the Parliamentary Group of Coalition for Bulgaria.
Not married.

Ivailo Kalfin
Vice Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Born on May 30, 1964, in Sofia. Graduated from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia, in international economic relations. MA in international banking from the UK. He has specialized in Austria, the USA, Korea, and Belgium.
He has worked in the field of foreign trade and as a consultant on corporative finances and macro-economical analysis. From 2003 he is secretary for economic affairs of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov. He teaches finance in the International University – Sofia by a program of the University of Portsmouth, UK. Member of the political movement Social Democrats. Member of Parliament (MP) from BSP in the 37th and 38th National Assemblies. One of the founders of the Bulgarian Euroleft.
Has a good command of English, French, Spanish and Russian. Married, with a daughter.

Daniel Valchev
Vice Premier and Minister of Education
Born on August 10, 1962, in Burgas. In 1987 graduated from the Law Faculty of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. Specialized in the International Institute for Public Administration (IIAP, Cycle court) in Paris, 1991; NATO Defense college – CSCE course – Rome 1992. He defended a doctoral thesis in law in 1995. From 2004 he is an associate professor in the Law Faculty of Sofia University, in the department of “History and Theory of the State and Law”. MP and chairman of the Standing Committee on European Integration and a member of the Committee on Legal Matters in the 39th National Assembly. Co-chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee Bulgaria – European Union, representative of the Bulgarian National Assembly in the Convention on the Future of Europe, which prepared a draft of the European Constitution, March 2002 – July 2003. MP in the 40th National Assembly. Has a good command of French, English and Russian. Married, with two children.

Emel Etem
Vice Premier and Natural Disaster Management Minister
Born on March 4, 1958, in Isperih, Razgrad district. Graduated in machine-building technologies in Russe. From 1993 to 1997 she was a collaborator in the Central Council of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). From February 2000, deputy chairman of the Central Council of the MRF. Head of MRF’s “Media Policy and Public Relations” Committee. MP in the 38th National Assembly (Parliamentary group of the Alliance for National Salvation – ANS). Member of the Committee on labour and social policy and the Delegation to the Parliamentary dimension of the Central European Initiative. MP in the 39th National Assembly in the MRF parliamentary group, where she is a member of the Culture Committee and deputy chairman of the Media Committee. MP in the 40th National Assembly.
Married, with a son.

Meglena Kuneva
Minister of European Integration
Born on June 22, 1957, in Sofia. In 1981 graduated in law from the Sofia University. She defended a doctoral thesis in the field of environmental law. Specialized in the Human Rights Institute, Finland, in Georgetown University, USA, and Oxford Center, UK. From April 1991 to May 2001 she worked in the Legal Department of the Council of Ministers. 1995-2001, consultant to the World Bank on the creation of the Trust Eco-fund and comparative study of the countries from Central and Eastern Europe on evaluation of the impact on environment. Member of the Union of Bulgarian Lawyers. From 1990, a member of the UN International Council on Environmental Law, Vienna. Founding member of the National Movement Simeon II (NMSII) from April 6, 2002. MP in the 39th and 40th National Assemblies. Member of the Committee on Foreign Policy, Defense and Security and of the Committee on Environment and Water in the 39th National Assembly. In 2001 she was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Bulgaria’s Chief Negotiator with the EU. From May 29, 2002, she is Minister of European Integration to the Foreign Ministry. Married, with one child.

Plamen Oresharski
Minister of Finance
Born on February 21, 1960, in Dupnitza. Graduated from the Institute of Economy in Sofia in 1984. From 1987, regular assistant in the Finance Department. In 1992 he defended a dissertation in the field of investments.
From 1993 he was chief of the National Treasury and Debt department at the Finance Ministry. From 1997 he was Deputy Finance Minister and member of the Board of Directors of Bulbank till the bank’s privatization.
From 2001 he is a regular lecturer in the Finance Department of the Institute of Economy.
After the last National Conference of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), he was appointed deputy chairman of the party. In 2003 he was UDF nominee for mayor of Sofia in the local elections, but later his candidature was withdrawn by the leadership of the blue party.

Rumen Petkov
Minister of Interior
Born on June 23, 1961, in Pleven. Graduated from the Paissii Hilendarski Plovdiv University, Department of Mathematics. He has a post-graduate qualification from “D. A. Tzenov” Academy of Economy in Svishtov, Department of Financial Management. In the period 1995-1999, mayor of Pleven Municipality. 1992-1995, chairman of the BSP-led municipal council in the city of Pleven. From December 1999 to 2002, secretary for coalition policy in the SC of BSP. In 2001 he was the leader of the pre-election campaign of President Georgi Parvanov. In June 2002 he was elected deputy chairman of the SC of BSP. Member of BSP’s Committee on relations with other political parties, the syndicates and civil society structures. Member of the Committee for work with the party veterans.
MP in the 39th and 40th National Assemblies. Has a good command of Russian. Married, with two children.

Veselin Bliznakov
Defense Minister
Born on June 18, 1944, in Straldja, Yambol district. Graduated from the Medical Academy in Sofia, specialist in radio-biology and radiation hygiene. He worked for 25 years in the field of energy and particularly on solving the problems of Kozloduy NPP. He is a member of the Civil Committee for protection of Kozloduy NPP. Former chairman of the Bulgarian Nuclear Society. He is a member of the board of the European Nuclear Society. MP in the quota of NMSII in the 39th National Assembly. In the period 2001-2003 he was deputy chairman of the Parliamentary group of the party. From 2001, member of the Committee on Foreign Policy, Defence and Security and chairman of the Energy Committee. In 2001 he became a member of the Delegation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee Bulgaria – EU. Member of the political council and secretary of NMSII. MP in the 40th National Assembly.

Georgi Petkanov
Minister of Justice
Born on November 1, 1947, in Smolyan. In 1971 he graduated in law from St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. In 1983 Doctor of Law. In 1989 he attained the rank of Associate Professor and in 1996 he became a Professor. Specialist in financial and tax law. From 1993 he worked as a lawyer, and from 1997 as an umpire in the Court of Arbitration to the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In the period 1991-1995 he was the Dean of the Law Faculty and then Deputy Rector of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. Head of the Administrational and Financial Law Department. Chairman of the Union of Lawyers in Bulgaria and member of the Board of the International Organization of Democratic Lawyers. Minister of the Interior in the cabinet of Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
MP in the 40th National Assembly. Has good command of French and Russian. Married, with one child.