Elena Lagadinova (Bg: Елена Атанасова Лагадинова) (May 9, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was instated as the first and only president of the CBWM after being hand selected by then Prime Minister Todor Zhivkov. Lagadinova also served as the First Secretary of Zhivkov’s Fatherland Front. Formally trained as an agronomist and genetic engineer, Lagadinova worked to incorporate quantitative analytical approaches to women’s issues in Bulgaria through significant collaboration with the Central Statistical Office in a massive survey effort. Through private communications, Lagadinova chastised the Central Committee and Prime Minister on governmental policy and responses to a number of women’s issues, including contentious topics such as abortion, as well as private employers who were found to be violating national labor codes. Lagadinova served as the General Rapporteur on the third United Nations World Conference on Women.
