site.btaParliament Elects National Social Security Institute Governor, Deputy Governor

On Thursday, Parliament elected Vesela Karaivanova-Nacheva as Governor of the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) and Ivaylo Zdravkov as Deputy Governor for a four-year term.

The candidacy of Karaivanova-Nacheva, nominated by GERB-UDF and BSP-United Left, was supported by 141 MPs, 48 were against and four abstained. Until now, she was NSSI Deputy Governor.

Zdravkov, nominated again by GERB-UDF and BSP-United Left, was elected with 118 votes in favour, 71 against, and 16 abstentions. Until now, he was regional governor of Veliko Tarnovo.

The procedure for electing new leadership of the NSSI was initiated in mid-June in view of the expiry of the terms of office of the current governor, Ivaylo Ivanov, on September 19, 2021, and of the deputy governor, Karaivanova-Nacheva, on July 21, 2024.

On July 17, the candidates for Governor and Deputy Governor of the NSSI, Karaivanova-Nacheva and Zdravkov, presented their concepts for managing the institution to the parliamentary Labour and Social Policy Committee.

Karaivanova-Nacheva has a degree in Accounting from the University of National and World Economy. She began her professional career as an economist in 1989. From 1992 to 2004, she worked in the tax administration in various positions. She was a member of the 39th National Assembly from Plovdiv Region. By a decision of Parliament, she was elected deputy governor of the NSSI in 2005 and re-elected in 2009, 2016, and 2020. Alongside her work as deputy governor, from 2011 to 2016 she also served as director of the Guaranteed Receivables of Workers and Employees Fund.

Zdravkov graduated in economics from the Dimitar Tsenov Academy of Economics in Svishtov and in law from Veliko Tarnovo University. He began his career in 2000 in the field of consulting. In 2002, he was a judicial candidate at the Veliko Tarnovo Regional Court, and from 2003 to 2010, he held various management positions at the State Receivables Agency, based in Veliko Tarnovo, at the Regional Directorate in Ruse. From 2010 to 2023, he was part of the team of the National Revenue Agency in the territorial directorate in Veliko Tarnovo, which he headed between 2016 and July 2023. He was appointed regional governor of Veliko Tarnovo Region in 2023.

Karaivanova-Nacheva's candidacy for governor of the National Social Security Institute was supported by GERB-UDF, 12 MPs from Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), MRF-New Beginning, BSP - United Left, There is Such a People (TISP), Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and three MPs without a parliamentary group. Opposed were Vazrazhdane, MECh, Velichie and one MP from CC-DB. Four other MPs from CC-DB abstained.

GERB-UDF, MRF-New Beginning, BSP-United Left, the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and three non-members of parliamentary groups voted in favour of Zdravkov's nomination as NSSI Deputy Governor. One MP from the CC-DB also supported his candidacy, while 23 from the group were against it. The Vazrazhdane, MECh, and Velichie parties were also against his election, while TISP abstained.