Dimitar Iliev Popov (Pokriva) (Bulgarian: Димитър Илиев Попов [diˈmitɐr poˈpɔf]; 26 June 1927 – 5 December 2015) was a leading Bulgarian judge and the first prime minister of the country not to be a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party since 1946. He was also the first prime minister since 1944 who was not a Communist or a fellow traveler. Popov, who did not have any party affiliation and was chosen for his perceived impartiality as a member of the judiciary, was selected to head the new government after the resignation of Andrey Lukanov in December 1990 in the face of mass demonstrations a