Born on 5 May 1966 in Kherson, Ukraine.

PhD in History

He graduated in history from the Moscow State University with outstanding results in 1989. In 1994, he defended his Doctor’s thesis “The System of Career Development of State Dignitaries in Russia and Its Transformation in the Second Half of the 19^th Century”.

Sergei Stanishev specialized in international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, 1999-2000; specialized at the Moscow School for Political Studies.

Journalist in 1994-1995 with many articles treating foreign policy issues, published in Bulgarian dailies and weeklies and in the foreign press.

Appointed senior expert at the Foreign Policy and International Activities Department with the Bulgarian Socialist Party’s Supreme Council, 1995. Appointed head of the Department, 1996.

Elected member of the Supreme Council and of the Executive Bureau of the BSP’s Supreme Council as secretary in charge of international activities, 2000.

Elected by the 19^th Multi-seat Constituency of Rousse to represent it at the 39^th National Assembly, June 2001 parliamentary elections.

Chairman of the BSP Supreme Council, elected at the second session of the 44^th Congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party on 15 December 2001. In December, the Coalition for Bulgaria Parliamentary Group elected him its leader.

Re-elected BSP Chairman by the 45^th BSP Congress, June 2002.

Member of the PES Presidency since 2002. Under his chairmanship the BSP became a full member of the Socialist International in October 2003 and of the Party of European Socialists in May 2005.

Elected by the 2^nd Multi-seat Constituency of Bourgas to represent it at the 40^th National Assembly, June 2005 parliamentary elections. Chairman of the Coalition for Bulgaria Parliamentary Group till 16 August 2005 when the Bulgarian Parliament elected him Prime Minister.

Fluent in English and Russian; working knowledge of French and Polish.