Andrey Lyapchev

Andrey Lyapchev ( Tarpov ) ( _bg. Андрей Ляпчев(Tърпов)) (30 November 1866 - 6 November 1933) was a Bulgarian political figure and Prime Minister.

Lyapchev was born in the Macedonian city of Resen, which was at the time a part of the Ottoman Empire, and played a leading role in Macedonian politics. As a student he campaigned for the unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia, before going on to edit "Priaporets", the Democratic Party journal. He also became known for his work in the cooperative movement. He attended the Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki.

He entered the Bulgarian parliament in 1908 and before long rose to ministerial rank. In this role he signed the 1908 treaty that established Bulgarian independence as well as the 1918 Armistice. After the First World War he became the first civilian to hold the post of Minister of War. He fell out of favour under Aleksandar Stamboliyski and was imprisoned between 1922 the military coup of 1923.

Lyapchev became Prime Minister on 4 January 1926 at the head of a coalition between the Democratic Allianceand the National Liberal Party. Lyapchev generally pursued a more moderate line than his predecessor Aleksandar Tsankov, declaring an amnesty for Communist prisoners (although the Communist Party officially remained banned). He also secured two loans from the League of Nations to help bolster the economy. He was, however, criticized for his toleration of the activities of the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization which strained relations with Yugoslavia and Greece.

Despite his more moderate stance Bulgaria struggled to cope with the Great Depression and so he lost the 1931 election. He died in Sofia two years later.