On November 3, 1988, the opposition Club for Support of Glasnost and Perestroika was created. On this day, in the 65th auditorium of Sofia University, the Club for Support of Glasnost and Perestroika was established, which, together with the Public Committee for Ecological Protection of Ruse, was among the first dissident organizations in socialist Bulgaria, recalls dariknews.bg.
The initiator of the project was Zhelyu Zhelev, who found support in opponents of the totalitarian system such as Iskra Panova, Evgeniya Ivanova, Antonina Zhelyazkova, Georgi Mishev, Marko Ganchev, Radoy Ralin, Petko Simeonov, Nevena Stefanova, Blaga Dimitrova, Maria Boykikeva, Prof. Nikolay Vassilev, Acad. Kiril Vassilev, film director Ducho Mundrov, prominent Bulgarian physical chemist Alexei Sheludko.
In September 1988, Zhelev prepared the Program Declaration.
In October, it was discussed, and on November 3, The Founding (program) declaration was adopted, a Management Board was elected, and the principles of the Club's functioning were established. The Founding Declaration was sent to the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party, the creative unions and the mass media. The first rotating chairman of the Club was Maria Boykikeva.
The main activity of the Club consisted in adopting and disseminating declarations and opinions on general political issues, which sharply criticized the power of Todor Zhivkov.
The Club, together with other informal groups, stood in defense of the rights of Bulgarian Muslims
and declared itself against the so-called Revival Process. The members of the Club were very active on Western radio stations, with the essays of Blaga Dimitrova and Marko Ganchev having a special resonance.