Bulgaria - Funeral of Todor Zhivkov

(9 Aug 1998) T/I: 10:42:02 Thousands of Bulgarians on Sunday (9/8) gathered in Sofia’s main square to pay final homage to Todor Zhivkov, Bulgaria’s last Communist dictator. He died on Wednesday, aged 86. Zhivkov ruled the country as a staunchly Communist satellite of Moscow for 35 years. He provoked a mixture of hatred and nostalgia among his countrymen. The present anti-communist coalition government, in office since April 1997, refused to accord him a state funeral. SHOWS: SOFIA, BULGARIA 09/08 MS woman holding picture of Zhivkov; CU flag; VS people assembled in Square “Batenberg“ for ceremony; MS open casket; offical party assembled: on right side of casket is Zhivkov’s family, on the left, the present leaders of the Bulgarian socialist party; VS crowd with memorial bouquets; PAN relatives and officials standing to salute anthem; PAN crowds at memorial; SOT Ex-Chief Editor of Bulgarian Communist Newspaper, Jordan Jotov (in Bulgarian): “During his epoch the old people were sure of their old age“; Cutaway crowds; SOT Roumen Vodenicharov, vice-presidential candidate and a chairman of the Helsinki Watch Committee (in Bulgarian): “He was blamed for the concentration camps, for asking the Russians to have Bulgaria become the 16th Soviet Republic and many other things which are not the truth.“ (part-covered by PAN of crowd); VS procession through streets; VS crowds; Interior Sofia cemetery memorial building; MS open casket; VS mourners crowded outside memorial building; Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: