The wife of the deputy head of the parliament from the PB headed the NDC

The National Palace of Culture (NDC) has undergone a significant leadership change, marking a new chapter in its management structure. According to reports from the Ministry of Culture, the institution now has a completely new temporary leadership team until the completion of a public competition. This transition was announced as part of broader reforms aimed at addressing concerns over governance and financial practices within the organization.

At the helm of this new administration is Iya Petkova-Angelova, who has been appointed as the executive director. She is married to Ivan Angelov, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly from the Progressive Bulgaria party. Alongside her, Ivanka Veselinova has been named chair of the Board of Directors. Veselinova previously served as the former spouse of Panayot Rezi, the ex-mayor of Sozopol. The other three members of the board include Boris Pankin, a director from the Progressive Bulgaria party, Tsvetelina Nikolova from VMPRO, and lawyer Lyubomir Vesov. These five individuals have been temporarily appointed for up to six months until the competition is completed, according to the ministry's statement. However, the reasons behind the change in leadership were not specified in the announcement.

The shift comes amid heightened scrutiny of the NDC’s operations following statements made by Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev. Shortly after taking office, Miloshev called for the resignation of the previous leadership due to allegations of excessive salaries. He claimed that the then-executive director, Andriyana Tatarova, earned nearly €14,000 per month, while the former head had stated an average salary of around €10,000. Despite these claims, Tatarova refused to resign. Her removal came after the Supreme Administrative Court ruled that she had violated conflict-of-interest rules by signing a contract with a company owned by her son. Although Tatarova initially declined to step down, she was ultimately removed from her position following the court's decision.

The appointment of the new leadership was officially decided on July 2 by Minister Miloshev, but the changes have yet to be formally registered in the Commercial Register. On the same day, a meeting of the new board took place, during which Iya Petkova and Ivanka Veselinova were elected to lead the NDC. Documents published in the Commercial Register confirm this selection process.

Iya Petkova-Angelova brings considerable experience to her role, having previously held the position of head of the Strategic Development department at the NDC between 2015 and 2020 under the governments led by Boyko Borisov. She is also married to Ivan Angelov, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly from the Progressive Bulgaria party. Both are lecturers at the Faculty of Economics at Sofia University “St. Clement of Ohrid.” Petkova is the daughter of Todor Petkov, the last communist mayor of Plovdiv before November 10, 1989, who later became a regional administrator for Plovdiv under the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). She ran as a candidate for European Parliament for the socialist party and was proposed by the BSP as a candidate for the Council for Electronic Media (SEM) in 2019. Since 2023, she has served as the director of “Museum,” first as acting director during the transition period when the museum moved to the Sofia Municipality, and later as permanent director. Now, she joins the NDC board as a representative of the state quota.

Ivanka Veselinova, the newly appointed chair of the Board of Directors, is not unfamiliar with the NDC. She enters the board as an independent member, having previously participated in the board during the caretaker governments led by Rumen Radev. Veselinova was once married to Panayot Rezi, the former mayor of Sozopol, and they separated in 2010. She worked as head of the inspectorate of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIK) from 2018 to 2020 and was a member of the administration of the Health Insurance Fund before joining the NDC. Her career began in the Ministry of Regional Development and Regional Policy (MRDP) as head of the regional development department from 2001 to 2009 during the cabinets of Simeon Sakskoburggotski and Sergey Stanishev. From 2009 to September 2014, she worked as a director responsible for the Operational Programme "Environment" in the Ministry of Environment and Waters. This period coincided with the first term of GERB, the entire Oresharshi cabinet, and part of the caretaker government led by Georgi Bliznashki. Between 2015 and 2018, she worked as a private consultant specializing in project evaluation for European funding applications before returning to a high-level position in the state administration, this time in the NHIK.

Andriyana Tatarova, the former executive director, learned about her dismissal from media reports. In response, she stated that her removal from the NDC was an order. This marks a significant turning point for the institution, as the new leadership will face the challenge of implementing reforms and ensuring transparency in its operations. With the temporary appointments set to expire after six months, the focus will likely remain on preparing for the upcoming competition to determine the long-term leadership of the NDC.