He is a graduate of
Sofia University, beginning his career as a lecturer at its juridical faculty in 1979. Since 1994 he has been a professor of legal studies. Between 5 July 2001 and 4 February 2005, Gerdzhikov served as the
chairman of the Bulgarian Parliament. He has been a member of Parliament twice (while affiliated with
NDSV). Gerdzhikov is a holder of the prestigious
Order of Stara Planina, receiving the distinction from former
president Georgi Parvanov. In addition to his native
Bulgarian, Gerdzhikov is also conversant in
German and
Russian. His hobbies include
table tennis,
football, and
travelling. Gerdzhikov is married and has one child. == References ==