National Representative.

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"National Representative" (Народен Представител) is a Badge worn by the elected representatives of the National Assembly during their term. Parallel to the Soviet "Deputy" Badges.

This is the Badge of the 8th and 9th National Assemblies from 1981-1990. The number of representatives during this period was 400 for each assembly (to which there was little change).

There will be more on this particular item later.

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Here is the National Representative document that accompanies this although it is for the 6th assembly (His later documents and earlier Badges may have had to be handed in as these are all that remain). This is Penko Hristov Gerganov's identification for his seat of the 182 Levski region.

Penko was a very active member of the communist regime of Bulgaria having helped in the set up and running of the partisan propaganda radio station "Radio Free And Independent Bulgaria" in Palestine in 1941 (which was soon put under direct control of Georgi Dimitrov). After the war he co-wrote the "Russo-Bulgarian Technical Dictionary" and was rather active in politics. He was First Secretary of the central committee of the Pleven communist party of Bulgaria from 1961-1965 before becoming Minister for agriculture and agronomy during the 5th assembly. He was known to be "in line" with Moscow and sent many Bulgarian representatives and delegations to the USSR. He also manoeuvred himself into a close position to Todor Zhivkov and even joined his family as Penko's daughter married Todor's son.

If Bulgarians had any interest in the PRB period of their history I am sure a vast amount of research could be dug up on Penko Gerganov

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Here is a Type 2 8-9th Badge which is most likely for the 9th Assembly.

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Here is another example.