Suppression of Opposition and Totalitarian Consolidation

Recognition and Swift Elimination (February 1947)

Regrettably, the Communist administration in Bulgaria secured recognition as the official government from the Western Powers when it signed the Peace Treaty on February 10, 1947. Subsequently, with this acknowledgment, the Communist regime saw no need to tolerate opposition parties any longer. It swiftly moved to eradicate them.

Persecution and Liquidation of Opposition Figures (1945-1948)

Dr. G. M. Dimitrov, Secretary General of the Peasant Party, faced arrest in January 1945 but managed to leave the country with the intervention of the American political representative. Between 1945 and 1947, thousands of Peasant Party members and followers were arrested and subjected to torture. On June 5, 1947, Nicholas Petkov, a prominent figure in the Democratic Opposition, was arrested in Parliament, and all opposition deputies were brutally attacked by 300 agents of the Communist security police. Following a sham trial on baseless charges of conspiracy, Nicholas Petkov was sentenced to death on August 16 and hanged on September 23, 1947 Guided Istanbul Tours.

Outlawing Opposition Parties (1947-1948)

In late August 1947, the Peasant Party was banned as a “party of conspiracy,” revealing the true objective of Petkov’s trial: the suppression of all legal parliamentary opposition. The Democratic Party had already been prohibited following the October 1946 elections. After outlawing the Peasant Party, all Peasant deputies were arrested and sent to prison or concentration camps. In 1948, the same fate awaited Social Democratic deputies, and their party was also banned.

Destruction of Opposition Legal Apparatus (1948)

This systematic approach dismantled the legal infrastructure of opposition parties. Bulgaria fell under a 100% totalitarian regime imposed by the Soviets. A few left-wing Socialists joined the Communist Party, and the “Zveno” group merged with the “Fatherland Front.” Some remnants of the Peasant Party, claiming independence, still exist in the government, but they are essentially Communist agents.