Volen Siderov
At a glance
| In Bulgarian | Волен Николов Сидеров |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 April 1956, Yambol, Bulgaria |
| Political party | Attack |
| Known for | Politician, author and journalist |
| National Assembly | Member, 13 July 2005–30 October 2019 |
| Party leadership | Leader of Attack since 17 April 2005 |
Source: Wikipedia: Volen Siderov1
Early career
Siderov was born in Yambol in 1956. He studied Applied Photography in Sofia and worked as a photographer at the National Literature Museum before the fall of Communism in 1989. His brother, Plamen Siderov, was a mathematician who lectured at Sofia University.1
After 1989, Siderov joined the newly established Movement for Human Rights. In 1990 he became editor-in-chief of Democracy, the Union of Democratic Forces’ newspaper. He later worked as deputy editor-in-chief of Monitor and hosted the television talk show Attack. In 2000, he received an award from the Union of Bulgarian Journalists.1
Political career
Siderov ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Sofia in 2003, receiving 1,728 votes. In 2005 he organised and led Attack, named after his television show. The party won 8.14% of the vote in the parliamentary election and became the fourth-largest party in parliament. It received 9.4% in the 2009 election.1
He served in the National Assembly from July 2005 to October 2019. In the 2006 presidential election, he won 21% in the first round and advanced to a run-off against incumbent Georgi Parvanov. Siderov received about 24% in the second round. In 2019, he ran for mayor of Sofia and finished seventh with 1.44% of the vote.1
Positions and controversy
Attack has opposed Bulgaria’s membership of NATO and called for changes to some agreements connected with European Union membership. Siderov has criticised Bulgaria’s NATO accession and argued that the country had been left vulnerable. The party has also called for the cancellation of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the return of territories it describes as the Western Outlands.1
Siderov has been labelled xenophobic and has made anti-Jewish and anti-Romani statements. In 2021, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Bulgarian courts had erred by not upholding civil discrimination claims against him over those statements. He has also questioned the lethality of COVID-19 and faced a legal investigation over encouraging people to breach pandemic controls.1
Sources
Facts checked 13 October 2026. Prepared by InvestBulgaria for general information.
