NID: BULGARIA: HARDLINERS PURGED AT SNAP PLENUM

• Document Type: SPECIALCOLLECTION
• Collection: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe: A 30-Year Legacy
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06826814
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 26, 2019
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2019
• Publication Date: December 9, 1989

Approved for Release: 2019/10/29 C06826814
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BULGARIA: Hardliners Purged at Snap Plenum
New General Secretary Petur Mladenor :emored the remaining
hardliners from the leadership yesterday at a hastily scheduled Central
Committee plenum, responding to public demands and paving the way
for more reform.
Mladenor dropped five Politburo members and 26 Central
Committee members. reinstated former Politburo and Secretariat
member Alcksandur Lilov, and elevated the Minister of Finance to
the Politburo and a relatively unknown regional party leader to
the Secretariat. Former party leader Zhivkov was expelled from the
Central Committee and denounced.
Dissident groups are planning a massive demonstration in Sofia
tomorrow to put pressure on Mladenov to adopt political reforms
at another plenum set for Monday
organizers expect at least 100.000 participants. twice the size ot the
largest previous demonstration
Comment: The regime almost certainly called sesterday's plenum to
preempt the demonstration and to undercut dissidents' demands:
Mladenov probably hopes his clean sweep of hardliners from the
leadership will placate the public's demands for change. The
demonstrators, however, are not likely to be satisfied by leadership
shifts, and dissident leaders intend to call for free elections, a
multiparty system, and other reforms.
Mladenov's purge of Zhivkov holdovers and elevation of allies and
moderates will give him a relatively free hand. Moscow undoubtedly
is pleased at the new gains for Bulgaria's reformers and probably
hopes Mladenov's reforms will preclude regime-threatening uprisings.
Mladenov probably intends to present a detailed economic reform
program on Monday but would prefer to avoid political reforms that
would diminish the party's authority. Some of his new colleagues
have hinted at concessions to pluralism, however, and he may be
compelled to go further than he would like.
3
-Titp-SerA
TCS 2985/g8
9 December 1989
Approved for Release: 2019/10/29 C06826814