site.btaAntoan Gechev Re-elected Head of State Intelligence Agency

In a 147-14 vote with one abstention on Wednesday, Parliament re-elected for a second term Antoan Gechev as head of the State Intelligence Agency. He will have a term of five years from June 17, 2026.

He was backed by Progressive Bulgaria, GERB-UDF and Vazrazhdane. Democratic Bulgaria voted against. Two MPs of Continue the Change voted "for" and one abstained.

On July 2, Gechev appeared at a hearing by the parliamentary committee overseeing the security services.

Gechev was born in 1969 in the southern city of Yambol.  He has a Master's degree from the Vassil Levski Military University in Veliko Tarnovo and the National Defence College in Sofia. He has also attended training courses in the US, Israel and Germany.

Gechev began his career as the commander of a reconnaissance platoon in a tank brigade before serving as an operational analyst in an electronic intelligence brigade. In 1998, he joined Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service, where he held a series of positions, including Deputy Director. He has extensive experience in military diplomacy and cooperation with the intelligence and security services of partner countries, as well as with NATO and EU structures, gained through overseas assignments as part of Bulgaria's military attaché offices in Greece, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Czech Republic, and Italy.

Atanas Atanasov of Democratic Bulgaria said Gechev's term expired on June 18, 2026, and argued that the government failed to follow the legal procedure for his dismissal and replacement. According to Atanasov, the process was "seriously compromised," and the acting appointee lacks the qualifications for the role. "The State Intelligence Agency has a staffing shortfall of more than one-third of its authorized positions, which means the Chair bears direct responsibility for the agency's personnel management," Atanasov said.

 Kostadin Kostadinov of Vazrazhdane said his party will support Gechev for a second term because he has done a good job over the years. "One of the most important indicators of this is that there has not been a single major scandal involving the State Intelligence Agency," he said.