Kimon Georgiev

In the 1930s he was a member of the right-wing military Zveno ('Link') movement. Together with fellow officers he committed a coup d'état in June 1934 and became prime minister. He abolished all political parties and trade unions. As an imitator of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini he introduced a corporative economic system. In 1935 Czar Boris III, an enemy of Zveno politics (because of their republicanism) committed a coup and Georgiev went into exile. Later he returned to Bulgaria, but was arrested and put in jail. Later he was released. During World War II, when Bulgaria was fighting on the side of the Axis, he joined the anti-Axis pro-communist Fatherland Front (FF). In September 1944 the FF committed a coup d'état and Georgiev became prime minister (until 1946). In 1946 he was succeeded by the communist leader Georgi Dimitrov and became vice-premier and Foreign Minister. Later he continued holding ministerial posts in all the cabinets until 1962. From 1962 until his death in 1969 he was a member of the Parliament's presidium.

He is known as "старият превратаджия" (the old coup-maker) in Bulgaria for organizing a total of 3 coups in 1923, 1935 and 1944.