site.btaAcademy of Sciences, Universities, Municipalities, Employers, Trade Unions, Creative Unions, Cultural Institutions, Artists, Head of Orthodox Church Support BTA Director General's Re-election

The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, universities, municipalities, employers, trade unions, creative unions, cultural institutions, artists, and Patriarch Daniil have expressed support for the re-election of Kiril Valchev for a second term as Director General of BTA. Among them are also the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in the Republic of Bulgaria, the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria, the National Association of Chairpersons of Municipal Councils in the Republic of Bulgaria, the Association of Bulgarian Employers’ Organizations (ABEO), the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, the Union of Bulgarian National Electronic Media, Bulgarian organizations abroad, renowned performers Lili Ivanova, The Foundation, Mihail Belchev, Stefan Valdobrev, and Hilda Kazasyan.

A hearing of Valchev at the parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media is taking place Thursday.

Seventy-five letters in support of a second term for Valchev were sent to National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan and the head of the parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media, Toshko Yordanov, with a copy sent to BTA.

Valchev's nomination for re-elections was submitted November 13 by MPs Kostadin Angelov (GERB), Toshko Yordanov (There Is Such a People), and Mariana Boyadzhieva (BSP - United Left).

The mandate of Kiril Valchev as Director General of the national news agency expires on January 27, 2026.

According to Article 12, paragraph 1 of the BTA Act, the National Assembly elects the Director General of BTA two months before the expiration of the mandate of the current Director General.

Here are the organizations and individuals who have sent letters of support:

American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria
Apollonia Foundation
Artists’ Union
Association Festivals in Bulgaria
Association for the Development of the Bulgarian Community in Moldova
Association of Bulgarian Airlines
Association of Bulgarian Employers’ Organizations (including Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Bulgarian Industrial Association, Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria)
Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad
Association of Bulgarian Sports Federations
Association of Film and Television Producers
Association of Independent Artists, Musicians, and Performers
Association of Bulgarian Folklore Companies Abroad
Artistauthor
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and Bulgarian Antarctic Community (count as 2?) – let’s count as 1 entry since combined in the line
Bulgarian Book Association
Bulgarian Library and Information Association
Bulgarian Medical Association
Bulgarian National Committee of the International Council of Museums
Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil
Bulgarian Red Cross
Bulgarian Theatre Association
Bulgarian Union of Balneology and Spa Tourism
European Spa Association
Center for Jewish-Bulgarian Cooperation "Alef"
Confederation of Bulgarian Cultural Organizations and Figures Abroad
Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria
Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in Bulgaria
Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
German-Bulgarian Center for Meetings
Georgi Stoykov Rakovski High School, Bolhrad, Ukraine
Higher Naval School – Varna
Hilda Kazasyan
I Want a Baby Foundation
International Ballet Association "Sara-Nora Prima"
Iriney Konstantinov, Director of Theater Sofia, Chair of Bulgarian Association for Theater
King Boris and Queen Joanna Fund
Lili Ivanova Foundation
Maritime Scientific Society
Mariela Papazova, Director of National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures
Mihail, Kristina, and Konstantin Belchevi
Military-Historical Commission
Musicauthor
National Academy of Arts
National Association of Radio and TV Operators
National Aprilov High School – Gabrovo
National Association of Chairpersons of Municipal Councils in the Republic of Bulgaria
National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria
National Library of St. St. Cyril and Methodius
National Polytechnic Museum
National Tourism Board
National Institute of Justice
PEN Bulgaria (including member writers Georgi Gospodinov, Zahari Karabashliev, Teodora Dimova, Zdravka Evtimova, Vladimir Zarev, Prof. Amelia Licheva, and others)
Podkrepa Confederation of Labour
Royal Historical Society
Sofia Opera and Ballet
Sofia Philharmonic
Sofia University of St. Kliment Ohridski
Snezhana Galcheva, President of the Confederation of Bulgarian Cultural Organizations and Figures Abroad
Stage Music Association
Stefan Valdobrev and The Usual Suspects (Stoyan Yankulov – Stundji, Ivan Lechev, Veselin Veselinov – Eko, and Miroslav Ivanov)
State Cultural Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Supreme Bar Council
The Foundation (Ivan Lechev, Dobrin Vekilov – Doni, Slavcho Nikolov, and Venko Poromanski)
Union of Architects in Bulgaria
Union of Artists in Bulgaria
Union of Bulgarian Composers
Union of Bulgarian National Electronic Media
Union of Chitalishte Community Centers
Union of Chemists in Bulgaria
Union of Physicists in Bulgaria
Union of Scientists in Bulgaria
University of Economics – Varna
University of Telecommunications and Posts
Ventsislav Spirdonov, Chair of the National Association of Chairpersons of Municipal Councils

Kiril Alexandrov Valchev was born on May 24, 1973, in Sofia. In 1992, he graduated with distinction from the National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures in Sofia and in 1998 he graduated with distinction from Sofia University of St. Kliment Ohridski, majoring in Law (Master’s degree). In 1995, he completed a professional course in radio management at Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany; he was a fellow in the European Leaders Program of the German Marshall Fund in the USA in 2000, and in 2003 he interned at the BBC Bulgarian Section in London, UK.

His language skills include English, Russian, Latin, Ancient Greek, and Old Bulgarian.

From 1993–1995, he worked at BTA. From 1993 to 2021, he was the author of the weekly review program The Week on Darik Radio, covering numerous events as the radio’s correspondent.

Valchev served as Secretary of the Union of Bulgarian National Electronic Media, whose members include BTA, Bulgarian National Television, Bulgarian National Radio, Nova Television, and Darik Radio.

As a lawyer, he worked in media and intellectual property law. He authored publications in constitutional and commercial law and served as legal advisor to BTA, Darik Radio, and other media outlets. In 2011, he participated in drafting the BTA Act.

He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in the media sector.

The proposal for his election for a second term as the BTA Director General recalls that after he was first elected Director General on January 27, 2021, he presented to the parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media a development program for BTA titled “The Future of BTA” for the period 2021–2025, based on his vision of continuity and renewal. The program outlined five strategic goals with operational objectives, activities, and steps to achieve them, with clear deadlines, reported annually to Parliament and approved by it unanimously.