ACS Alumni Petition 

Dear ACS Alumni, 

We have created this petition to express our disappointment with the recent events surrounding the American College of Sofia’s graduation ceremony of class 2021. It came as a shock for many of the Alumni community across the world when we saw that the mayor of Sofia Mrs Yordanka Fandukova was invited as guest of honor to give a speech. 

We would like to express our deepest concerns and regret with the decision to invite political figures with questionable affiliation and reputation, and in this case, it happens to be the current Mayor of Sofia. The uproar within the alumni community in the past week has been deafening. There is widespread consensus within the Alumni community that the invitation has scarred the school’s otherwise flawless reputation as the finest educational institution in the country. 

A few of the reasons we believe this invitation was vastly inappropriate include:

- Until recently, Mrs Fandakova was the deputy leader of a political party that has been under serious public scrutiny in Bulgaria and abroad for years due to severe corruption scandals, unconstitutional decisions, and undemocratic values that have directly threatened the national security and reputation of our country. 

- There are countless investigations and ongoing lawsuits against the party's leadership relating to alleged embezzlement, conflict of interest, corruption, as well as an investigation into the brutal beating of two ACS alumni during the long lasting protests during covid against the cabinet and the Mayor herself. Within reason, we expect the American College of Sofia to take a moral stance in support of our alumni community.

- Mrs Fandakova is in the middle of yet another public education crisis which in the current year has resulted in 10,000 children being left out of kindergarten for the upcoming year. Associating ACS’ name with the mayor at such a time degrades the public image of our beloved institution. 

- Following the recent turbulent election campaign, during which opposition members were allegedly spied on, while Bulgarian citizens living abroad (many of whom ACS alumni) were purposely denied access to voting, we are now in another election campaign with an election day date set for July 11. By inviting the Mayor, instead of another not so compromised figure, leaves many with the impression of strong political bias / preference for a particular party, or candidate. In effect, ACS, consciously or not, has given the political party of the Mayor a platform for political PR. 

We stress on the fact that Fandakova herself justified the beatings of people who were peacefully protesting against the ruling government in the summer of 2020 by saying protesters seeking violence and provocation themselves and necessary physical force needed to be used upon those people to free up the blocked roads! Among those beaten up were our fellow ACS graduates Evgeny Marchev and internationally renowned journalist Dimitar Kenarov. 

This petition requests that the ACS board, via its official communication channels, publish an apology statement regarding this PR gaffe, and clearly and fully disassociate themselves with the political figure Yordanka Fandukova. Furthermore, we believe it is appropriate that ACS asks the office of the Mayor of Sofia to remove all social media posts relating to her participation at the graduation ceremony of Class 2021. 

Please sign this petition to show your support for our moral cause. We will rely upon all official communication channels to the ACS board and seek an official response by the end of June. If no appropriate response/action is made we would seek alternative ways to express our position. 

Yours truly, 

ACS Fellow Alumni