Alexei Kosygin vs Boyko Borisov

Kosygin became Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) in October 1964 after Khrushchev's ouster. He served as head of government for 16 years, overseeing the Soviet economy and foreign policy during the Brezhnev era.

Kosygin launched economic reforms in September 1965 aimed at decentralizing the Soviet economy. The reforms gave enterprises more autonomy, reduced central planning, and introduced profit incentives, but were largely abandoned by the early 1970s due to bureaucratic resistance.

Kosygin supported the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968, which crushed the Prague Spring reforms. He participated in negotiations with Czechoslovak leaders, justifying the intervention as necessary to preserve socialism in the Eastern Bloc.

Kosygin resigned as Premier in October 1980 due to declining health. He was replaced by Nikolai Tikhonov, ending his 16-year tenure as head of the Soviet government. He died two months later, on December 18, 1980.

Boyko Borisov became Prime Minister of Bulgaria after his party GERB won the 2009 parliamentary elections. His government focused on anti-corruption measures, EU integration, and infrastructure projects. He served three non-consecutive terms, becoming the longest-serving prime minister since the fall of communism.

Borisov resigned as Prime Minister in February 2013 following widespread protests against high electricity prices and corruption. The protests, which turned violent, forced his government to step down. He was succeeded by a caretaker government until early elections.

After a period of political instability, Borisov's GERB party won the 2014 snap parliamentary elections. He formed a coalition government with the Reformist Bloc and other parties, returning to the premiership. His second term focused on judicial reform and EU funds absorption.

Borisov's GERB won the 2017 parliamentary elections, and he formed a coalition government with the United Patriots. During his third term, Bulgaria held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2018, focusing on Western Balkans integration and European security.

Borisov resigned as Prime Minister in April 2021 following months of large-scale anti-government protests against corruption and his close ties to oligarchs. His resignation triggered a series of snap elections, leading to a prolonged political crisis in Bulgaria.