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Andrey Tasev Lyapchev Андрей Тасев Ляпчев | |
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| 22ndPrime Minister of Bulgaria | |
| In office 4 January 1926 – 29 June 1931 | |
| Monarch | Boris III |
| Preceded by | Aleksandar Tsankov |
| Succeeded by | Aleksandar Malinov |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1866-11-30)30 November 1866 |
| Died | 6 November 1933(1933-11-06) (aged 66) |
| Resting place | Central Sofia Cemetery |
| Nationality | Ottoman/Bulgarian |
| Political party | Democratic Alliance (since 1923) Democratic Party (until 1923) |
| Spouse | Konstanza Lyapcheva |
Andrey Tasev Lyapchev (Tarpov) (Bulgarian:Андрей Тасев Ляпчев (Tърпов); 30 November 1866 – 6 November 1933) was aBulgarian Prime Minister in three consecutive governments.
Lyapchev was born in theMacedonian city ofResen, which was at the time a part of theOttoman Empire, and played a leading role inBulgarian politics. Lyapchev's family is thought to have originated from a certain Dore, aMegleno-Romanian potter who fled the Islamization of his nativeNotia and settled in Resen in the 18th century.[1]
Andrey Lyapchev started his education in Resen but after theApril Uprising of 1876 the local school was shut down by Ottoman authorities, following the fate of many otherBulgarian schools in Macedonia. He spent the next three years helping his brother Georgi run his shop inBitola. Georgi was left to take care of the family after the death of their father. In 1879 Lyapchev signed in theBitola gymnasium and two years later he moved to the newly establishedBulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki. One of his teacher's there was his fellow-townsmanTrayko Kitanchev, who had a significant influence on the young student. After Kitanchev's dismissal in 1884 Lyapchev left the school and moved toPlovdiv together with his teacher. At the time Plovdiv was the main city of the Autonomous Province ofEastern Rumelia.
Together with otherMacedonian students of the Plovdiv gymnasium, likePere Toshev andNikola Genadiev, Lyapchev got closer withZahari Stoyanov and theBulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee which was preparing the future unification between Eastern Rumelia and thePrincipality of Bulgaria. He was sent to thePanagyurishte committee on 2 September 1885, but authorities arrested him on the way. He was let free only after theUnification had been proclaimed on 6 September. With the beginning of theSerbo-Bulgarian War on 2 September 1885, the whole group signed in the First Volunteers Corps. However, by order ofKnyaz Aleksander I students were left at the rear of the advancing army. Nevertheless, Lyapchev and the rest managed to reach the captured town ofPirot. There they were eventually de-mobilised in December, returning to Plovdiv afterwards.
In the summer of 1886Russia organised a coup d’état which resulted in the disposal ofKnyaz Aleksandar I and in a drastic interference of Russian generals in the internal affairs of Bulgaria. These events made Lyapchev even more sympathetic to the cause of the extreme nationalists led by Zahari Stoyanov,Dimitar Petkov andDimitar Rizov. The latter was a prominent figure among Macedonian emigrants at the time. Lyapchev even went on to lead a group of nationalists that beat up conservative politicianTodor Burmov, a deed that Lyapchev himself later dismissed.
In the following months relations between Lyapchev, on one side, and the Stambolovist government and Zahari Stoyanov on the other, grew colder, and Lyapchev got closer with Dimitar Rizov. Tensions between authorities and the Macedonian emigration intensified even further after Kosta Panitsa was jailed and sentenced to death over allegations of organising a coup d’état. In the summer of 1888 Rizov published articles critical to the Prime MinisterStefan Stambolov and was also sentenced to two years in jail. A warrant was issued with Lyapchev's name on it, but he managed to leave the country.
He entered theBulgarian parliament in 1908 and before long rose to ministerial rank. In this role he signed the 1908 treaty that established Bulgarian independence as well as the 1918Armistice of Salonica. After theFirst World War he became the first civilian to hold the post of Minister of War. He fell out of favour underAleksandar Stamboliyski and was imprisoned between 1922 and themilitary coup of 1923.
Lyapchev becameprime minister on 4 January 1926 at the head of a coalition between theDemocratic Alliance and theNational Liberal Party. Lyapchev generally pursued a more moderate line than his predecessorAleksandar Tsankov, declaring an amnesty for Communist prisoners (although theCommunist Party officially remained banned). He also secured two loans from theLeague of Nations to help bolster the economy, although economic problems were exacerbated by anearthquake inPlovdiv.[2] He was, however, criticized for his toleration of the activities of theInternal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization which strained relations withYugoslavia andGreece.
Despite his more moderate stance Bulgaria struggled to cope with theGreat Depression and so he lost the 1931 election. He died inSofia two years later.
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| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Bulgaria 1926–1931 | Succeeded by |
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