The Deputy Director of Bulgaria's Military Intelligence Service, Veselin Ivanov, had been officially promoted to head of the office.

The order was issued by Defense Minister, Anyu Angelov, Dnevnik daily reports, citing the Ministry's press center.

Ivanov was temporarily in charge of the Service for over a year.

In August 2010, now-former President, Georgi Parvanov, in his capacity of Commander in Chief of the Bulgarian Army, blocked Angelov's previous candidate, Commodore Valentin Gagashev, after blocking earlier another choice of the Minister – Dincho Karamunchev, thus leaving the intelligence services without a head for many months.

Parvanov based his moves on grounds he had not been appraised and asked for his opinion on the candidates.

The Bulgarian cabinet succumbed to the will of the President and withdrew Gagashev's nomination.

The need for a new appointment was triggered by the retirement of the former head of the Service.

Angelov appointed Ivanov as temporary head in December 2010. He is a colonel from the reserves, and a former military attach? to Greece. He has also worked at Military Intelligence.

A week ago, the new Bulgarian President, Rosen Plevneliev, signed decrees, according to which there is no need to have high-ranking army officers as head and deputy head of the Services, giving the Defense Minister the green light to appoint them without a presidential decree.