This is a chronological list of mayors of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, since that post was established after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878. The first governor of Sofia was Petr Alabin.
Initially, the mayors of Sofia were assigned by the Provisional Russian Administration. After the newly restored Bulgarian state was already functioning on its own, in the end of 1878, mayors were chosen by the municipal council. Until 1944, the mayor (with the official title of "Chairman of the City Administrative Council") was appointed through a Tsar's decree after a candidate was suggested by the Minister of Internal Affairs. After that date, the mayor (officially "Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Sofia City (later Capital) People's Council") was formally chosen by the municipal councilors, albeit after being specified by the Bulgarian Communist Party management.[1]
Since the democratic changes and the 7th Grand National Assembly in 1990 that led to the appointment of an interim mayor (Green Party of Bulgaria leader Aleksandar Karakachanov), the residents of Sofia received the right to choose their mayor, the first democratically elected one being Aleksandar Yanchulev on 13 October 1991.[1]
| No. | from[2] | until | mayor (кмет, kmet) | notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 February 1878 | 8 June 1878 | Manolaki Tashev | first mayor; assigned by the Provisional Russian Administration; died from cancer | |
| 2 | 9 June 1878 | 1 August 1878 | Dimitar Hadzhikotsev | ||
| 3 | 2 August 1878 | 29 December 1878 | Dimitar Dimov | ||
| 4 | 30 December 1878 | 13 September 1879 | Todoraki Peshev | ||
| 5 | 14 September 1879 | 30 June 1890 | Dimitar Traykovich | ||
| 6 | 1 July 1880 | 30 December 1880 | Todor Ikonomov | ||
| 7 | 15 February 1881 | 30 September 1881 | Nikola Daskalov | ||
| 8 | 1 October 1881 | 29 April 1883 | Ivan Hadzhienov | ||
| 9 | 30 April 1883 | 27 December 1883 | Nikola Suknarov | ||
| 10 | 28 December 1883 | 9 May 1884 | Dimitar Hadzhikotsev | ||
| 11 | 10 May 1884 | 24 August 1885 | Todoraki Peshev | 2nd inconsecutive term | |
| 12 | 25 August 1885 | 19 October 1886 | Ivan Slaveykov | ||
| 13 | 20 October 1886 | 1 November 1887 | Yosif Kovachev | ||
| 14 | 21 November 1887 | 31 August 1888 | Nikola Daskalov | 2nd nonconsecutive term | |
| 15 | 1 September 1888 | 7 October 1893 | Dimitar Petkov | ||
| 16 | 18 October 1893 | 31 May 1894 | Hristo Blagoev | ||
| 17 | 16 July 1894 | 15 July 1895 | Ivan Grozev | ||
| 18 | 16 July 1895 | 30 September 1896 | Dr. Dimitar Mollov | ||
| 19 | 1 October 1896 | 7 April 1897 | Grigor Nachovich | ||
| 20 | 8 April 1897 | 11 April 1899 | Dimitar Yablanski | ||
| 21 | 12 April 1899 | 4 January 1901 | Hristo Popov | ||
| 22 | 4 April 1901 | 23 September 1903 | Petar Chernev | ||
| 23 | 2 March 1904 | 7 July 1905 | Petko Nikolov | ||
| 24 | 8 July 1905 | 21 March 1908 | Martin Todorov | ||
| 25 | 22 March 1908 | 31 March 1908 | Dr. Georgi Sarafov | shortest term, 9 days | |
| 26 | 1 April 1908 | 31 July 1908 | Atanas Hranov (mayor) | ||
| 27 | 1 August 1908 | 18 October 1910 | Evstati Kirkov | ||
| 28 | 1 November 1910 | 17 August 1911 | Konstantin Batolov | ||
| 29 | 27 September 1911 | 22 May 1912 | Haralampi Karastoyanov | ||
| 30 | 23 May 1912 | 11 February 1914 | Ivan Dimitriev Geshov | ||
| 31 | 12 February 1914 | 18 March 1915 | Petko Todorov | ||
| 32 | 23 June 1915 | 11 August 1918 | Radi Radev | ||
| 33 | 12 September 1918 | 5 September 1920 | Dr. Georgi Kalinkov | ||
| 34 | 6 September 1920 | 8 June 1922 | Konstantin Batolov | 2nd nonconsecutive term | |
| 35 | 8 June 1922 | 9 June 1923 | Krum Popov | shot during a coup d'état | |
| 36 | 10 June 1923 | 13 July 1924 | Ivan Ploshtakov | ||
| 37 | 14 July 1924 | 16 April 1925 | Paskal Paskalev | killed in the St Nedelya Church bomb attack | |
| 38 | 10 June 1925 | 13 November 1925 | Georgi Madzharov | shot on the street by a dismissed director | |
| 39 | 7 April 1926 | 14 March 1932 | Gen. Vladimir Vazov | ||
| 40 | 14 March 1932 | 20 February 1933 | Boyan Nachov | ||
| 41 | 20 February 1933 | 25 May 1934 | Dr. Haralampi Oroshakov | ||
| 42 | 25 May 1934 | 9 September 1944 | Ivan Ivanov | longest term; deposed during a coup d'état | |
| 43 | 10 September 1944 | 19 September 1944 | Petar Slavinski | shortest term, 9 days | |
| 44 | 23 September 1944 | 22 March 1945 | Prof. Aleksi Kvartirnikov | ||
| 45 | 22 March 1945 | 29 October 1945 | Nikola Bronzov | ||
| 46 | 1 November 1945 | 2 March 1948 | Slavcho Stoilov | ||
| 47 | 2 March 1948 | 27 May 1949 | Prof. Dobri Radistilov | ||
| 48 | 27 May 1949 | 1 November 1949 | Todor Zhivkov | ||
| 49 | 1 November 1949 | 22 December 1952 | Dr. Ivan Pashov | ||
| 50 | 22 December 1952 | 7 September 1961 | Dimitar Popov | ||
| 51 | 7 September 1961 | 20 September 1967 | Georgi Petkov | ||
| 52 | 20 September 1967 | 11 November 1971 | Georgi Stoilov | ||
| 53 | 11 November 1971 | 5 December 1977 | Ivan Panev | ||
| 54 | 7 March 1978 | 15 April 1986 | Petar Mezhdurechki | ||
| 55 | 15 April 1986 | 27 July 1990 | Stefan Ninov | ||
| 56 | 17 October 1990 | 20 October 1991 | Aleksandar Karakachanov | interim; Union of Democratic Forces | |
| 57 | 21 October 1991 | 1995 | Prof. Aleksandar Yanchulev | first elected mayor; Union of Democratic Forces | |
| 58 | 19 November 1995 | 29 June 2005 | Stefan Sofiyanski | Union of Democratic Forces and Union of Free Democrats | |
| 59 | 30 June 2005 | 9 November 2005 | Minko Gerdzhikov | interim | |
| 60 | 10 November 2005 | 29 July 2009 | Gen. Boyko Borisov | Independent and GERB | |
| 61 | 29 July 2009 | 23 November 2009 | Minko Gerdzhikov | interim; GERB | |
| 62 | 23 November 2009 | 13 November 2023 | Yordanka Fandakova | first female mayor; GERB; the longest-serving mayor | |
| 63 | 13 November 2023 | Vassil Terziev |