President Petar Mladenov of Bulgaria resigned on 6 July 1990, apparently in response to demands from the opposition, striking students and his own ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party. (RFE/RL, 6 July, p. 48). The Economist reports that his resignation was brought about by his casual remark on bringing in the tanks during an anti-government demonstration in December 1989. ("Tanks", p. 49).

On 1 August, Parliament elected the leader of the Union of Democratic Forces, Zhelyu Zhelev, to the presidency. The UDF, a coalition of 15 parties, is the main opposition force. Mr. Zhelev is the first non-Communist president in four decades. (NYT, 2 August).

ATTACHMENTS:

RFE/RL "Weekly Record of Events, 6 - 12 July 1990", Report on Eastern Europe , 20 July 1990.
"Tanks, Stanko", The Economist, 14 July 1990.
"Into the Dustbin", The Economist, 28 July 1990.
Chuck Sudetic, "Bulgarian Opposition Leader to Become President", The New York Times, 2 August 1990.