In response to media inquiries regarding her inauguration as Chairperson of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee (BOC), Vesela Lecheva provided the following clarification.
"In my public statements last week, I called on the old leadership of the BOC to set a day and time for us to meet and discuss the handover of tasks in the short and medium term. On the first working day of the week, March 31, 2025, I again tried to contact Mrs. Stefka Kostadinova, but her phone was switched off. In a conversation with Mr. Belcho Goranov, I conveyed the desire of the BOC leadership, elected by the General Assembly on March 19, 2025, to assume office. I categorically oppose attempts to turn the procedure for changing the BOC leadership into a circus that will undermine public trust in an institution with a 100-year history," Lecheva stated.
Legal Justification
Vesela Lecheva's legal team provided clarifications on the matter:
According to Art. 25, para. 1 of the Non-Profit Legal Entities Act (NPLEA) and Art. 31, para. 1, item 3 of the BOC Statute, the General Assembly is the only competent body that elects and dismisses the Chairperson, members of the Executive Board, and the Control Council of the BOC.
Registration in the register of non-profit legal entities has only an informative effect. Decisions of the General Assembly enter into force immediately, regardless of whether they are registered or their annulment is sought in court.
A claim under Art. 25, para. 4 of the NPLEA can only be filed for the annulment of decisions that have already entered into force, but it does not postpone their effect.
Therefore, the newly elected Chairperson Vesela Lecheva assumed office from the moment the decision was made - March 19, 2025. The previous Chairperson was dismissed with the same decision. Lecheva can perform her functions immediately and legitimize herself as Chairperson both in the internal relations of the BOC and before external institutions.
In this case, no additional confirmation of her legitimacy is necessary, as the election of the new leadership was widely covered in the media, according to Lecheva's statement sent to the media.
