Tech Wizard’s Mayoral Bid Tests Bulgarian Coalition Govt’s Stability

Promotional image of Vassil Terziev's campaign as mayoral candidate of Sofia, nominated by 'We Continue the Change', Democratic Bulgaria, Save Sofia and Sofia's Team.

"It's all about responsibility: successful people should circle back and contribute to the society they come from," Terziev said on Wednesday on Nova TV during his first media appearance as a candidate. His nomination was announced on Tuesday. 

Terziev has been nominated by "We Continue the Change" and Democratic Bulgaria, by the Save Sofia organisation, which recently registered as a party and by a citizens' initiative of architects and ecological activists called Sofia's Team. 

This means that one segment of the current ruling coalition, "We Continue the Change" and Democratic Bulgaria, will be challenging their government partner GERB's influence in the municipalities, while still trying to build a stable government with GERB.

Terziev was born in 1978. He has not been involved in politics before and in public is mostly known as the cofounder of Bulgaria's highly profitable tech company, Telerik.

US company Progress Software bought Telerrik for $262.5 million US in 2014, making it one of the most successful deals in Bulgaria's tech history, while Terziev adopted the position of Chief Innovation Officer.

Over the next few years, Terziev and the other Telerik founders started an academy and founded the startup incubator Campus X. Terziev also became a managing partner at Eleven Ventures, an early stage venture capital fund focused on Southeastern European startups.

The strength of the desire for change will determine his chances of taking over the capital.

Current Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandakova from GERB has been in office since 2009 and is at the...