Stoil Ivanov Tsitselkov

Public record

Compiled from publications and official records as of 18.10.2026. Every statement links to its source; claims made by others are marked as such, with who makes them. Quotations in English are our translation.

Communist Party and State Security

• His father – a State Security collaborator, keeper of a safe house. The Dossier Commission has decisions on Stoil Tsitselkov's father, Ivan Stoilov Tsitselkov (born 08.10.1947 in the village of Sestrimo): No. 69 of 29.06.2009 (National Assembly) and No. 2-1701 of 01.10.2019. According to desebg.com, citing the commission's data, in 1984 he was recruited by the Sofia City Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior – State Security as keeper of a safe house under the pseudonym Роман, and was used on the Yugoslav line of the Second Chief Directorate. The record notes that the materials on the safe house Роман were destroyed under protocol reg. No. 566 of 02.02.1990 (letter in. No. 1660 of 28.03.1990). In the sources read, Tsitselkov was not asked about this, and we found no statement from him on it. — desebg.com, 20.02.2026, Dossier Commission
• His father – a BKP member and editor-in-chief of Дружинка. In 1984 Stoil Tsitselkov's father was a BKP member and editor-in-chief of the children's magazine Дружинка, the organ of the DKMS, writes desebg.com, relaying material from the Dossier Commission. According to the material, „вербовката му е извършена на идейно-политическа основа и е привлечен като съдържател на явочна квартира“ (our translation: 'his recruitment was carried out on an ideological-political basis and he was brought in as a safe-house keeper'). — desebg.com, 20.02.2026

Corruption and scandals

• Five-year ban from EU election observation missions. The European Commission has confirmed that after a 2020 mission it imposed the ban on Stoil Tsitselkov for breaching the Code of Conduct. The confirmation was given first to NOVA on 20.02.2026 and then to BNT after a query from the CIK. ИТН claimed an 'incident with a woman in a hotel room in Ghana'. Tsitselkov told bTV that after the mission he breached COVID safety rules and received a 'cooling-off period' for field work, and he denied that a woman was involved: „нямало е жена, момиче или, не дай си Боже, пингвин.“ (our translation: 'there was no woman, girl or, God forbid, a penguin.') There is no official source for the detail about a woman. On 23.02.2026 the CIK voted 14 to 1 to ask the European Commission, via the Foreign Ministry, for the reasons for the ban. The chair Нейкова asked him to leave the Public Council; he refused, and the CIK has no procedure to remove him. We did not find a reply to the query on the specifics. — bTV Novinite, 22.02.2026
• Conviction for driving after drinking alcohol. ИТН (parliamentary declaration by Toshko Yordanov, 19.02.2026) claimed that the Sofia City Court convicted Stoil Tsitselkov on 23.09.2014 for driving at 1.5 promille (the offence dates from 08.05.2011). On bTV he confirmed a 2011 conviction with probation: „Качих се в автомобил след употреба на алкохол. В моя автомобил. Бях спрян и санкциониран.“ (our translation: 'I got into a car after drinking alcohol. My own car. I was stopped and sanctioned.') He says the conviction is spent, that he is rehabilitated and that his criminal record certificate is clean; 24 часа notes that the limitation period ran out in 2018. He resigned the next day and asked for forgiveness on 22.02.2026. We found no further proceedings. — bTV Novinite, 22.02.2026
• Resigned as caretaker deputy PM one day after appointment. Stoil Tsitselkov resigned on 20.02.2026, following ИТН's claims. Gyurov accepted the resignation and President Йотова signed the decree, reports 24 часа; he was released by Decree No. 60 of 24.02.2026. In his own Facebook post he said he had no charges, no verdicts and no active restrictions at that time. He remained on the CIK Public Council, and by 09.2026 he was again commenting publicly on elections. — 24 Chasa, 20.02.2026
• ИТН alleges two marijuana registrations and resisting arrest. In parliament on 19.02.2026, Toshko Yordanov of ИТН, a political opponent of Stoil Tsitselkov, alleged that he has two criminal registrations – for marijuana (55 g, describing him as a dealer) and for resisting arrest. Tsitselkov told bTV that it was a case from his youth in which a joint butt lay near him and his friends, with no charge and no verdict. He said: „Това, което се говори за някакви стотици грама, че аз съм дилър, са неща, които ще трябва да се докажат в съда. И аз ще заведа дела“ (our translation: 'What is being said about some hundreds of grams, that I am a dealer, are things that will have to be proven in court. And I will bring lawsuits'). We found no charge, court case or lawsuit by him in the sources. He announced court action over the unlawful spreading of personal data, but we found no follow-up either. — bTV Novinite, 22.02.2026
• Труд alleges a business from election observation missions with his mother. Stoil Tsitselkov and his mother Румяна Дечева turned EU election observation into a lucrative business, writes Труд (reprinted by ПИК). The paper estimates earnings of €18,000–36,000 per mission from per diems of €250–300; the sums are its own calculation, not documents. It also notes that both sit in the Public Council to the CIK – he as chair in 2021–2022 and she after him. Toshko Yordanov (ИТН) also cited an 8 February Facebook post by Tsitselkov on the Petrohan case as offensive. On bTV Tsitselkov said he never received money for this activity. Nothing followed in the sources found; we found no procurement item and no case before КПКОНПИ or the Court of Audit. — PIK (citing Труд), 21.02.2026