Yordan Zhekov Mutafchiev (; 17 November 1940 – 24 May 2015) was a Bulgarian communist politician, military officer and statesman. He served in various positions in communist Bulgaria including Minister of Defence.
Military career He graduated from the Commercial High School in Burgas in 1958, the Frunze Military Academy with honors in 1976 and the Voroshilov Military Academy of the General Staff in 1984. He last served as Commander of the 3rd Army in Sliven from 1987 – 1989. In December 1989, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Defense. On December 27, 1989, he was relieved of his post as army commander and appointed Deputy Minister of Defense.Почина армейски генерал Йордан Мутафчиев – blitz.bg, 24.05.2015 On November 22, 1990, he was elected Minister of Defense in the second government of Andrey Lukanov, holding the position in the government of Dimitar Popov until November 8, 1990. On August 22, 1991, while serving as Minister of Defense, he was awarded the rank of Army General and was awarded the military decoration "Marshal's Star" for Army General.
From November 8, 1991, to February 1, 1993, he held the position of Chief Inspector of the Armed Forces and demonstratively did not stand when the lower-ranking Colonel General, Chief of the General Staff, Lyuben Petrov, entered the meetings (who was promoted to the rank of Army General only on February 1, 1993, when Mutafchiev retired).
Retirement On February 1, 1993, he was dismissed from active duty and transferred to the reserves. He completed 3-month diplomatic courses at the Diplomatic Institute. From June 1993 to July 1997 he was Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to North Korea. He was removed from the reserve in 2005 at the age of 65.
He co-founded of the Union of Bulgarian Nationalists "All Bulgaria", founded on March 3, 2006. At the founding meeting he was elected Deputy Chairman of the National Executive Council. On July 22, 2006, the National Political Council of the party nominated him for vice president along with the presidential candidate Grigor Velev. He also served as leader of Russophiles for the Revival of the Fatherland. Army General Mutafchiev passed away on May 24, 2015.Почина армейски генерал Йордан Мутафчиев – blitz.bg, 24.05.2015
Military ranks
Junior Lieutenant – September 1, 1961 Lieutenant – September 2, 1963 Senior Lieutenant – October 12, 1966 Captain – September 29, 1971 Major – July 24, 1976 Lieutenant Colonel – September 5, 1981 Colonel – October 2, 1985 Major General – September 7, 1986 Lieutenant General – September 8, 1988 Colonel General – September 6, 1990 Army General – August 22, 1991Ташев, Т., Недев, С., Върховното ръководство и висшето командване на българската армия (1879 – 1999), Университетско издателство „Св. Климент Охридски“, София, 2000, с. 207
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