The General Assembly of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski“ is meeting to elect a new rector from among three officially approved candidates. The extraordinary election is necessary after the previous rector, Prof. Georgi Valchev, left the post to take over as Minister of Education and Science. The new leader will be tasked with completing the current four-year term, which expires in November 2027. Until the vote is held, the position is temporarily held by Assoc. Prof. Parvan Parvanov.
Who are the three candidates for the rector's post?
Three established names from the academic circles of the Alma Mater were admitted to the final phase of the selection:
Prof. Dr. Eliza Stefanova – lecturer at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics and current chair of the National Assessment and Accreditation Agency (NAAA). She was appointed by the General Assembly of her faculty. Prof. Postal address Georgi Rajnovski – Dean of the Faculty of Physics, whose candidacy was nominated by the relevant Faculty Council. Prof. dpn Milen Zamfirov – Dean of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Arts, appointed by the Faculty Council of his unit.(Note: The fourth submitted candidacy – of Prof. Dr. Madlen Danova – was not approved by the university's profile committee due to non-compliance with procedural requirements).
Main priorities in management programs
Each of the three candidates has already presented their views on the development of the university during meetings with the academic community in the Aula:
Prof. Milen Zamfirov is betting on "evolution, not revolution". His operational plan is based on three main pillars: financial order, reputation and academic peace. Among his specific promises are the introduction of a flexible system for sharing auditoriums in the winter to save on heating, quick repairs to the Rector's roof and the creation of a weekly "rector's hour" for free access to students and lecturers.
Prof. Eliza Stefanova emphasizes people and accelerated digitalization for greater transparency, efficiency and accessibility. In her program, special attention is paid to young scientists and improving the environment for their realization. It also envisages the construction of a new, modern Alma Mater website with easy navigation.
Prof. Georgi Rainovski puts the income of the academic staff and linking them to the average salary for the country as the first priority. He insists that the average gross salary at the university should reach at least 180% of that for the country (about 2,439 euros for 2026), and that the starting salary for an assistant should be no less than 1,600 euros, guaranteed through an industry agreement.
The vote will be held during today's General Assembly session, and to elect a new rector, one of the candidates needs to collect a majority of the votes of the delegates present.