Two candidates have been officially submitted for the position of governor of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), and only one - for the position of deputy governor.
The official deadline for submitting proposals by parliamentary groups to the registry of the National Assembly expired on August 12, 2026, and the nominations are now publicly available on the parliament's website.
Who are the candidates for governor of the NHIF?
The race for a new governor of the NHIF is facing well-known names from the medical and financial sectors:
- Dr. Vladimir Vasev Daskalov – nominated by the parliamentary group of “Progressive Bulgaria“. He graduated from the Medical University in Plovdiv and has extensive experience at the Military Medical Academy (MMA). He has also held leadership positions in hospital structures.
- Stanimir Mihaylov – proposed by the parliamentary group of “Continuing the Change“. Mihaylov is well known to the public, as he already held the position of Governor of the National Health Insurance Fund, and in addition has many years of experience in the banking system and financial management.
Only one proposal for deputy governor
For the position of deputy governor of the Health Fund, only one proposal has been registered. This is Zdravko Shushkov, whose candidacy was nominated by the parliamentary group of “Progressive Bulgaria“. Shushkov has an economic and engineering education, and his professional path includes management positions in the insurance sector and large state-owned companies.
We recall that by law, two positions for deputy governors are provided for in the structure of the NHIF. Currently, one of them is occupied by Dr. Asen Medzhidiev, who was elected by parliament on July 2, 2026 and is currently temporarily performing the functions of managing the fund. On the same date, the deputies prematurely terminated the mandates of the current governor Dr. Petko Stefanovski and Deputy Governor Prof. Momchil Mavrov after their resignations.
What is the selection procedure from now on?
The candidates for the management of the fund are to be heard in the Parliamentary Committee on Health. After that, the nominations will enter the plenary hall for a final vote by the deputies.
According to the adopted procedural rules, the candidate who receives more than half of the votes of the deputies present in the hall will be considered elected. If there is an equal number of votes between the two candidates for the governor of the NHIF, a second vote will be held. In the event that no one gathers the necessary support in the run-off, the National Assembly will have to announce a completely new selection procedure.
The new management will take over the management of a budget of billions of levs, intended for the healthcare of Bulgarian citizens.