Balgarianovinite.com Ahmed Hasanov was elected Grand Mufti and Mustafa Hadzhi Chairman of the Supreme Muslim Council at a National Muslim Conference held in Sofia on Sunday. Until now, Hasanov served as Deputy Grand Mufti, while Hadzhi was Grand Mufti.
There were two candidates for each position: Ahmed Hasanov and Supreme Muslim Council Chairman Vedat Ahmedov for Grand Mufti, and Mustafa Hadzhi and Murad Boshnak, the Regional Mufti of Pleven (Northern Bulgaria), for Supreme Muslim Council Chairman.
During the forum, Vedat Ahmed and Murad Boshnak withdrew their bids, citing disagreement with open voting.
Ahmed Hasanov and Mustafa Hadzhi were nominated by several regional mufti’s offices, including Blagoevgrad, Varna, Kardzhali, Pazardzhik, Ruse and Silistra.
In an address to the conference, President Iliana Iotova said the forum is an expression of respect for the tradition of dialogue and for the democratic principles on which the work of religious communities in Bulgaria is based. “Over the years, the Muslim denomination has been an integral part of the spiritual life of the country, contributing to the preservation of faith, the strengthening of mutual respect among people, and the building of a society based on tolerance and empathy,” the President added.
Addressing the National Muslim Conference, Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov said all Bulgarians, regardless of faith or origin, have equal rights and a shared goal – the unity and well-being of the nation. Religious freedoms are guaranteed in Bulgaria by the Constitution and the law, and the State does not interfere in any way in the life of religious communities,” Hristov said, adding that this is one of the greatest achievements of Bulgaria’s transition.
Ahmed Hasanov was born in Omurtag (Northeastern Bulgaria) in 1977. He completed his primary education in the village of Zelena Morava and secondary education at the Nuvvab religious school in the northeastern town of Shumen, according to the website of the Muslim denomination. He graduated from the Higher Islamic Institute in Sofia in 2002. In 2002-2003, he was an imam in Fandak mosque in Omurtag. He earned a Master’s Degree in the Department of Basic Islamic Studies of the Social Sciences Institute at the University of Ankara. In 2008-2010, he was a vaiz (preacher) at Regional Mufti’s Office in Targovishte (Northeastern Bulgaria). In 2010-2012, he was a teacher and Director of the Gul Training Center in Aalen, Baden-Wurttemberg.
Mustafa Hadzhi was born in the village of Draginovo, in the southern Pazardzhik Region, in 1962. He served as imam in his native village and later as Deputy Grand Mufti at the Grand Mufti’s Office in Sofia. He graduated in theology from Jordan’s Yarmouk University in 1997. He earned a master’s degree from New Bulgarian University in Sofia and a doctorate from Marmara University in Istanbul. He first served as Grand Mufti in 1997-2000 and then between 2005 and 2026, becoming the longest serving Grand Mufti of the Muslim denomination in Bulgaria. He was Chairman of the Supreme Muslim Council in 2000-2003 and Rector of the Higher Islamic Institute in 2003-2005. New Grand Mufti and Supreme Muslim Council Chairman Elected at National Conference 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-21 13:55:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law