Bulgaria - Funeral of Todor Zhivkov

(9 Aug 1998) T/I: 10:42:02


Thousands of Bulgarians on Sunday (9/8) gathered in Sofia's main square to pay final homage to Todor Zhivkov, Bulgaria's last Communist dictator. He died on Wednesday, aged 86. Zhivkov ruled the country as a staunchly Communist satellite of Moscow for 35 years. He provoked a mixture of hatred and nostalgia among his countrymen. The present anti-communist coalition government, in office since April 1997, refused to accord him a state funeral.


SHOWS:

SOFIA, BULGARIA 09/08

MS woman holding picture of Zhivkov;
CU flag;
VS people assembled in Square "Batenberg" for ceremony;
MS open casket;
offical party assembled: on right side of casket is Zhivkov's family, on the left, the present leaders of the Bulgarian socialist party;
VS crowd with memorial bouquets;
PAN relatives and officials standing to salute anthem;
PAN crowds at memorial;
SOT Ex-Chief Editor of Bulgarian Communist Newspaper, Jordan Jotov (in Bulgarian): "During his epoch the old people were sure of their old age";
Cutaway crowds;
SOT Roumen Vodenicharov, vice-presidential candidate and a chairman of the Helsinki Watch Committee (in Bulgarian): "He was blamed for the concentration camps, for asking the Russians to have Bulgaria become the 16th Soviet Republic and many other things which are not the truth." (part-covered by PAN of crowd);
VS procession through streets; VS crowds;
Interior Sofia cemetery memorial building;
MS open casket;
VS mourners crowded outside memorial building;

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