Asen Vaskov Vasilev (Bulgarian: Асен Васков Василев, born 9 September 1977) is a Bulgarian politician and economist who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2021 to 2022 and as Minister of Finance on three occasions from 2021 to 2024. A member of the PP party, which he co-founded and currently leads alongside Kiril Petkov, he is also a current Member of the National Assembly.[1]
Asen Vasilev | |
|---|---|
| Асен Василев | |
 Vasilev in 2021 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria[a] | |
| In office 13 December 2021 – 2 August 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Kiril Petkov |
| Preceded by | Galab Donev[b] |
| Succeeded by | Atanas Pekanov[c] |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office 6 June 2023 – 9 April 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Nikolai Denkov |
| Preceded by | Rositsa Velkova |
| Succeeded by | Lyudmila Petkova |
| In office 13 December 2021 – 2 August 2022 | |
| Prime Minister | Kiril Petkov |
| Preceded by | Valery Beltchev |
| Succeeded by | Rositsa Velkova-Zheleva |
| In office 12 May 2021 – 16 September 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Stefan Yanev |
| Preceded by | Kiril Ananiev |
| Succeeded by | Valery Beltchev |
| Member of the National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 9 April 2024 | |
| Constituency | 29th MMC - Haskovo |
| In office 19 October 2022 – 6 June 2023 | |
| Constituency | 29th MMC - Haskovo |
| Leader of We Continue the Change | |
| Assumed office 19 September 2021 Serving with Kiril Petkov | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism | |
| In office 13 March 2013 – 29 May 2013 | |
| Prime Minister | Marin Raykov |
| Preceded by | Delyan Dobrev |
| Succeeded by | Dragomir Stoynev |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Asen Vaskov Vasilev 9 September 1977 Haskovo, PR Bulgaria |
| Political party | We Continue the Change |
| Alma mater | Harvard University |
| Occupation |
|
Education
editVasilev earned a degree in economics from Harvard University in 2000 and continued studies at Harvard Business School.[2][3][4]
Professional career
editVasilev is a co-founder and president of Everbeard, an airline ticket pricing company. It is partly funded by the Singapore National Research Fund and the first Skype investor.[5]
Vasilev was the co-founder and director of the Centre for Economic Strategy and Competitiveness. He is a lecturer in the Program for Economic Growth and Development, a branch of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski” and with the Centre for Strategy and Competitiveness of Harvard Business School.[6]
From 1999 to 2004, Vasilev worked as a consultant for Monitor Group in the US, Canada, Europe, and South Africa. He managed marketing and strategic development projects for large international companies in the fields of telecommunications, energy, mining, insurance, and several major consumer goods manufacturers.[7]
Political career
editIn 2013 Vasilev was Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism in the caretaker government of Marin Raykov. From 12 May to 16 September 2021, he was Minister of Finance in the caretaker government of Stefan Yanev.
On 19 September 2021, together with Kiril Petkov, Vasilev presented his new political project "We continue the change".[8][9] He was the leader of the party list in Haskovo and Sofia 23 for the 2021 Bulgarian general election on 14 November.[10] The party won the most seats in the new parliament and formed a coalition government on 13 December 2021.
Vasilev became Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in the short-lived Petkov government.[11][12]
The Petkov government's mandate ended in late June 2022 after Prime Minister Kiril Petkov resigned following a no-confidence vote, and on 1 July President Rumen Radev asked Vasilev to form a new government.[13]
One week later as prescribed by the constitution Vasilev informed the president that his party only had the support of 117 members, falling four short of the majority. "Unfortunately, we failed to gather enough support to implement the politics that our...government would have wanted to push through. We could not get the support needed to rid Bulgaria of corruption and make the state work for the people, instead of channeling taxpayers’ money into a few select companies that can use it to corrupt the political class. We hope that in the next elections, the additional four deputies will be elected by the people."[14]
In May 2024 Vassilev became embroiled in a scandal revealed when someone leaked wiretaps of conversations that should have remained private.[15]
Other activities
edit- European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (since 2021)[16]
References
edit- ^ Nick Thorpe (17 November 2021). "Bulgarian election: Kiril Petkov, Assen Vassilev, a battle-bus and a brand new party". BBC. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Кой е Асен Василев - служебен министър на финансите - България" [Who is Asen Vassilev - Minister of Finance]. dariknews.bg (in Bulgarian). 11 May 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Евроком, Телевизия. "Кой е служебният финансов министър Асен Василев" [Who is the caretaker Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev]. Телевизия Евроком (in Bulgarian). Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "The Harvard Name Shouldn't Have Decided Bulgaria's Election | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Кой е служебният финансов министър Асен Василев" [Who is the caretaker Minister of Finance Asen Vassilev]. www.24chasa.bg (in Bulgarian). 24 Chasa. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Who Is Who: Bulgaria's Caretaker Economy Minister Assen Vassilev - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". www.novinite.com. Novinite. 12 March 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria :: CABINET:: CABINET MEMBERS:: Assen Vassilev - Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Minister of Finance". www.gov.bg. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ Стоянов, Михаил (19 September 2021). "Политическото напрежение: след заплахи шефът на приходната агенция вече е с охрана" (in Bulgarian). Dnevnik. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ Emilia Milcheva (30 August 2021). "Кирил Петков и Асен Василев правят партия? Да обобщим фактите" [Are Kiril Petkov and Asen Vassilev partying? Let's summarize the facts.]. DW.COM (in Bulgarian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "АСЕН ВАСИЛЕВ - Водач на листата в Хасково и София 23 МИР" [ASEN VASSILEV - Leader of the list in Haskovo and Sofia 23 MIR]. Продължаваме Промяната (in Bulgarian). We Continue the Change. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
- ^ "Assen Vassilev - Deputy Prime Minister:EU Funds/Minister:Finance, Republic of Bulgaria". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Asen Vassilev: Each Party will have a Deputy Prime Minister". www.novinite.com. Novinite. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Bulgarian Finance Minister Handed Mandate To Form Government". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 1 July 2022.
- ^ "Bulgaria Party Fails To Form Coalition, Bringing Country Closer To New Elections". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 8 July 2022.
- ^ https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/wiretapping-scandal-rocks-election-campaign-in-bulgaria/.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Board of Governors European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Notes
edit- ^ Served alongside Kalina Konstantinova, Korneliya Ninova, Grozdan Karadzhov and Borislav Sandov
- ^ Shared between Donev, Boyko Rashkov and Atanas Pekanov
- ^ Shared between Pekanov, Ivan Demerdzhiev, Lazar Lazarov and Hristo Alexiev