By Rumyana Vakarelska
On February 1, Bulgaria remembered Dr. Jeliu Jelev. The Bulgarian flag flew half mast in Sofia and across the world, with the presidents of Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and ambassadors to Bulgaria from across the world attending the memorial service, according to Bulgarian media reports. Dr Jelev passed away a month before his 80th birthday, almost coinciding with the day of the Bulgarian National Holiday on March 3. Following the Sunday service at the Bulgarian East Orthodox Church St. Ivan Rilsky in London, which held a commemorative prayer for Dr. Jelev, who also was the first Bulgarian President to visit HM Queen Elizabeth II, a memorable signature of Dr. Jelev in the Book of Honour in the above church reminded of his legacy. Dr. Jelev was in addition the first Bulgarian dissident to meet officially the former British PM Margaret Thatcher. His wishes on 17.02.1991 say (pictured): ’Thanks for the hospitality of St. Ivan Rilsky Church municipality. Two years later on the same page he wrote: ’Let others follow your example in the name of the Bulgarian East Orthodox’ people’. The simple evidence of Dr Julep’s great work and presence was seemingly so close and so easy to find for those who seek his history lessons. He was a philosopher by education, but became a historian by fate. The Bulgarian Embassy in London has taken on February 2 and 3 numerous signatures and condolences in a memorial book dedicated to Dr Jelev, where English language signatures prevailed. The Romanian and Polish press have widely published in memoriam articles and paying tributes. However, media reports in Bulgaria have found that young people do not know sufficiently about Dr. Jelev. It remains to be seen when the man who wrote the most important page in Bulgarian contemporary history leading the Bulgarian people from the socialist era to democracy through a peaceful democratic process will take the relevant amount of well-written pages in the history text books in the near future. Despite the mixed public reactions, this time is more likely to come soon. The Bulgarian PM Boiko Borissov was clearly humbled by the queues of dignitaries and ordinary people that came to pay last tributes to Dr. Jelev’s memory in front of the St. Alexander Newsy Cathedral in Sofia. Dr Jelev has been consequently buried in Boyana cemetery, not far from the Bulgarian Presidential Residence. For many, who saw 1989 through he will remain the Father of the peaceful democratisation process in Bulgaria and the leader of the brave and often uneven transitional process in Bulgaria from1989 until 1997, leading eventually to Bulgaria’s NATO and EU membership. The general election campaign in Bulgaria last year preceded by almost two years of political instability have made many miss on Dr. Jelev’s last book published in 2014, ‘Myths and legends about the Bulgarian people’. However, the book is out there for anyone to find and read and can become the next factor helping uniting the nation, also connecting better the Bulgarians living abroad and those at home. Ivaylo Trifonov, Dr. Jelev’s former Head of Cabinet Office said at a round table in the Bulgarian media that Dr. Jelev will remain the brightest political figure in Bulgaria’s recent history, who started the long coming of Bulgaria as a European democracy to join the rest of Continent. Mr Jelev is succeeded by his younger daughter, who is an artist. Dr. Jelev’s tremendous legacy and his ground breaking books to read and remember may help the Bulgarians to define themselves better, not least internationally. Rumyana Vakarelska of Team New Europe produces original journalistic content on international relations, energy security, investment and cultural identity for global readership. Copyrigh2015@tRumyana Vakarelska
