He has been the mayor of a village in Ludogorie for six terms, and his wife has been receiving a salary from the village community center the entire time. However, according to the local municipal administration, there is neither a formal nor a moral conflict of interest in this case.
Since 2003, Erdjan Müstecjeb has been the mayor of the village of Izgrev in the Venets municipality. Alongside him, his wife Halise Ali has been the long-standing and well-paid secretary of the village community center “Probudа 1930.”
The administration in Venets, which is responsible for overseeing the activities of local community centers, as they receive both state and municipal subsidies, believes that everything is in order in this case because the two spouses have different employers – one is elected directly, and the other is appointed by the community center’s board. The board itself consists of pensioners and unemployed people from the village, and for over 20 years, it has been employing the mayor’s wife.
Izgrev is one of the largest villages in the Venets municipality, which is rightfully considered one of the strongholds of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS). In the last local elections, the other political forces didn’t even bother to nominate candidates for municipal mayor, and the DPS’s Nefriban Ahmedova was the only participant in the pre-determined race for local authority. The mayor of Izgrev is also from DPS, which explains the support he receives from the municipal government. The municipality not only sees nothing wrong with the family governance in Izgrev but also considers the empty community center to be “very active.”
But the facts show exactly the opposite – the prestigious village community center, founded nearly 100 years ago by the local community to be a hub for culture and education, has today been turned into an almost “hollow” organization with no activities. In practice, the community center’s almost sole function is to provide a salary for the mayor’s wife. This is evident from the data on the income and expenses of the community center for 2023, and the modest list of activities, which consists only of two banquets a year and a cold, traveling library.
Empty, cold, and gray
Following reports from people in Izgrev who complain about the non-functioning and constantly closed community center, a team from “Za Istinata” conducted an on-site inspection. At 9:20 AM on a working day, there was no one at the community center, despite the advertised working hours starting at 8 AM. The large two-story building in the center of the village was empty, and the community center’s library on the second floor, which seemed to be the only habitable place, was locked.
The community center itself is a stark, grey space, encased in metal grilles, with no sign of warmth or creativity—not even children’s drawings on the walls. There are no posters advertising cultural events or gatherings, no announcements for workshops, activities, or competitions. Instead, bare walls and a vast, empty hall on the ground floor greet anyone who might wander in by mistake.
“It just sits there, empty. Nothing ever happens,” says a man from the village, whom we meet at the town square. When we ask why no one visits the center or whether there’s any interest in such activities, he replies: “Oh, people are interested, especially the kids—they’d love to do something. But there’s no one to organize it; no one is ever there.”
Two women from the village, both working mothers, express open frustration at the neglected state of the community center.
“Izgrev is a big village; we have people, we have children, and yet the center is always locked up and empty,” one of them says indignantly. She complains that the center’s secretary spends all her time at the municipal office with her husband, leaving locals unable to even borrow a book from the library. “My son needs extra help with his studies, and we wanted to check out some books, but the library is always closed. And even if you’re lucky enough to find the secretary there, it’s freezing inside—no heating at all, so there’s no way to sit and read,” the second woman adds, visibly upset.
The library is indeed cold, with clear signs of having gone unheated for days, as confirmed by a visit from Za istinata. Around ten minutes after the arrival of the journalistic team in the village, the community center’s secretary, Halise Ali, appeared and unlocked the library, which contained no functioning heating devices.
When asked what activities are organized at the center, Ali proudly mentioned her involvement in the “Bulgarian Libraries” program, through which nearly all rural community centers receive new books. However, she was unable to answer questions about which books are most popular in the village or what the locals prefer to read. “Everyone has their own taste,” she said vaguely, adding that she focuses on acquiring mostly children’s literature.
Halise Ali stated that she has worked at the community center for over 20 years and is its only salaried employee. After such a long tenure, one might expect her to be the living memory of the institution. Yet, it turns out she knows little about the organization from which she has drawn a paycheck for over two decades.
When asked about the founding of the community center and its founders, Halise Ali named Ahmed Ilyazov and Embie Nasufov. However, when prompted to share more about these individuals, the salaried secretary admitted she knew nothing further about them or the center’s history. This lack of knowledge speaks volumes but does not prevent Ali from being among the highest-paid community center secretaries in the Venets municipality. According to municipal councilors, she has been earning a significantly higher salary than her peers for years.
No Cultural Activities
When questioned about other activities the community center offers besides book lending, Ali struggled to provide an answer. Asked if there are any amateur groups—such as singing, dancing, theater, youth clubs, or creative workshops, common in most community centers—she replied tersely that there are no groups or activities.
“We used to have a dance group back in the day, but I can’t gather them anymore because they want money to participate,” Ali said, repeating multiple times, “No one wants to do anything at the center; they all want to be paid to take part in activities!”
Despite this, Ali is adamant that the center engages in “active” programming, citing twice-yearly banquets for local women as evidence. “We always celebrate Women’s Day and New Year’s—that’s activity!” she declared. In reality, this “activity” boils down to a single announcement posted at the municipal office, informing residents that a Women’s Day banquet will be held at a restaurant, with tickets costing 50 leva per person.
When asked about the empty hall on the ground floor, Ali explained: “That’s the concert hall, but it wasn’t used at all last year.” She added, “We mostly collaborate with the teacher at the primary school, and I try to supply literature for the young people.”
When questioned why other community centers in the Shumen region are “bursting at the seams” with amateur groups, events, guest performances, and youth activities, Ali grew irritated: “Well, I can’t compare myself to the centers in Shumen—this is a rural community center!” She reiterated her belief that the people of Izgrev are not interested in participating in community center activities.
“That’s absolutely untrue,” countered Nedzlya Yahiya, a local resident who returned to the village a few years ago. A former artist and designer who once led children’s art workshops, Yahiya said she had offered to organize an art club at the community center and had shared the idea with both the secretary and the mayor of Izgrev.
“They called me to decorate the school, and while I was painting, many children came up to me, showing genuine interest,” said Nedzlya Yahiya. “I asked if they wanted me to teach them, and they happily agreed. These kids are bright—they want to learn, to have nice things. That’s why I proposed running an art club at the community center, at least once a week, but my idea was rejected.
There’s so much we could do at this community center. We could organize arts and crafts groups for the children, or history workshops, or celebrate different holidays. It’s not true that there’s no interest! I’m willing to volunteer to lead an arts club, and the children want to draw, to engage in activities, to sing, to dance! We want to bring life back into this place, but no one is doing anything,” Yahiya said passionately.
No Activities, but Salaries and Allowances
The community center in Izgrev may have little to show in terms of activities, but it has financial resources. It owns 93 hectares of farmland, donated over the years by local residents. These lands are currently leased, generating an annual rent of 5,000–6,000 leva, according to Halise Ali. Additionally, the center earns rental income from a mobile operator for an antenna installed on its building. However, its primary funding comes from state and municipal subsidies. Last year, the official financial report showed total revenues of nearly 36,000 leva.
Expenses for the year were similarly around 30,000 leva. When asked how this money was spent given the lack of significant activities, Ali replied: “Salaries, building maintenance, heating, lighting…”
The community center is officially overseen by 52 residents of the village, registered as members of the cultural-educational organization. Its chairman, Ruzhdi Redzheb, owns a grocery store in the village, while the board includes six other members, most of whom are retirees or unemployed. The board is responsible for appointing the secretary and, in theory, makes all decisions, including those related to the budget.
Locals Question Missing Funds and Lack of Transparency
Residents of Izgrev are incredulous that the community center received 36,000 leva last year and spent nearly 30,000 leva.
“That’s a lot of money—where was it invested?” puzzled villagers ask. “This community center doesn’t even have basic curtains.” They are outraged that the center serves no real function and believe its funds are primarily spent on the secretary’s salary, even though she is rarely at the center and is instead “at the municipal office with her husband.”
Former members of the community center claim that no board meetings have been called, nor have any financial reports been presented. “Nobody tells us where the money goes!” they say.
The municipal administration in Venets has also failed to clarify how the funds for the rural community center are spent.
When asked about the center’s finances, Nehriban Ahmedova, mayor of Venets Municipality, provided only a generic list of expense categories without specifying amounts. According to the statement, the funds were spent on “salaries under employment contracts; employer social security contributions; travel allowances; materials; water, fuel, electricity; cultural-educational activities; subscriptions; library activities; fees and commissions; external services; and other expenses.”
Potential Conflict of Interest?
When questioned about a possible conflict of interest arising from the fact that the community center’s salaried secretary is the wife of the village mayor, the municipality responded: “The community center secretary is appointed by the chairman of the community center board. Meanwhile, the village mayor is an elected official. The mayor does not serve as the secretary’s employer. In other words, the mayor’s office and the community center are not connected either functionally or financially.”
Community Center’s Activities Questioned Amid Criticism
When asked to evaluate a community center that operates primarily as a sporadic library, Nehriban Ahmedova, mayor of Venets Municipality, asserted that the Izgrev center has an “annual program” and engages in “numerous activities.” She provided the following list:
- Submission and approval of a project under the “Bulgarian Libraries” program of the Ministry of Culture;
- Celebration of the Roma New Year with primary school children;
- Decoration of a tree with martenitsi in front of the municipal office;
- Welcoming Baba Marta with the kindergarten;
- Celebrating International Women’s Day with village women;
- Collecting bottle caps for the “Caps for the Future” campaign;
- Egg painting for Easter;
- Laying a wreath at the monument to fallen soldiers and marking All Souls’ Day with the kindergarten, primary school, and municipality;
- Hosting Santa Claus for the kindergarten children;
- Celebrating New Year 2024 with local women;
- Participating in a local traditions and customs fair in the village of Yasenkovo.
Critics argue that these activities highlight a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of Bulgarian community centers (chitalishte) as hubs for cultural and educational engagement. They see these routine celebrations—many held in the kindergarten or organized by the municipality—as superficial attempts to justify the center’s existence. Examples such as hanging a few martenitsi on a tree or handing over bottle caps are deemed trivial to be part of a reported “annual program.”
A Village with Potential Left Untapped
Izgrev officially has over 1,000 registered residents, with approximately 800 living there permanently. The village boasts a primary school and kindergarten, indicating a vibrant community with young people. Critics argue that the lack of meaningful activities at the community center is inexcusable and reflects a systemic issue: viewing such institutions merely as workplaces for “insiders” while their role as cultural hubs is neglected.
The perception is reinforced by the center’s focus on organizing semi-annual banquets rather than fostering creativity, education, or social engagement.
A National Issue
The concerns about Izgrev’s community center are not isolated. Elissaveta Belobradova, deputy chair of the parliamentary education committee, recently acknowledged receiving numerous complaints about similarly underperforming centers, describing them as “shell organizations.” Her comments during a recent visit to Shumen underline the need for systemic reform to ensure these institutions fulfill their purpose as vital cultural and educational centers for local communities.
Call for Accountability in Underperforming Community Centers
Elissaveta Belobradova, deputy chair of the parliamentary education committee, highlighted a growing concern about inactive community centers (chitalishte) and the need for systemic accountability during her recent visit to Shumen.
“People keep asking whether the law needs to be changed for these centers to start serving their communities. The problem isn’t in constantly amending the law—it’s in the lack of oversight at the intermediate level,” Belobradova stated. “There must be quality control to ensure these centers are working for the benefit of citizens, not just themselves.”
She emphasized that when those tasked with oversight fail to act, it falls upon local communities to step in and demand accountability.
The activities of the Chitalishta are regulated by a special law, which gives them independence in the selection of their management and the spending of their budget, although a large part of their income comes from state and municipal subsidies, i.e. from public funds, which are subject to control and accountability. That is why more and more often voices are heard for a change of the law on Chitalishta.
The illage of Sunrise last made the news in late October 2023, when local people staged protests against the election of Ercan Müstejan as mayor and demanded the election be annulled because of irregularities. The residents of Sunrise cited as their reason that the mobile polling station had not canvassed all those who had applied to vote by mobile polling station. In addition, local people said that more than 100 people from Turkey, who have address registrations in the village, arrived in an organized manner to participate in the first round of the elections.
A lawsuit was filed in the Administrative Court in Shumen against the decision of the Venets Municipal Election Commission. The appeal was filed by the candidate for mayor of the village. Tuncer Fikret, nominated by GERB. In the first round he lost the election by 193 votes against 236 for the winner Mustajeb. The administrative court in Shoumen rejected the appeal and confirmed the election of Ercan Mustajeb as mayor of the village.
After the appearance of a journalistic team of “For Truth” in Izgrev, a table tennis tournament was surprisingly organized in the community center.
