Metodi Baykushev

Metodi Baykushev (b. 1981) was elected the mayor of Blagoevgrad sin November 2023. He graduated in law at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" before starting his career in 2006 as a junior lawyer at Dimitrov, Petrov & Co. Law Firm. After only 6 years, he became a managing partner. In 2020 and 2022, he was included in the list of the most influential international arbitration experts in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE Arbitration Powerlist) of Legal500. He is included in the list of arbitrators of the Czech Arbitration Court and the Riga Arbitration Court. 

He was the Secretary General of the National Committee in Bulgaria of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and a member of the commission that nominates arbitrators in arbitration cases before the largest arbitration court in the world (the International Court of Arbitration at the ICC). 

In addition, in 2017 and 2018, he taught Business Law at the American University in Bulgaria. He has been a lecturer at various international arbitration forums in Paris, Prague, Thessaloniki, Krakow and Sofia. 

He ran in the 2023 local elections as part of the We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition and garnered 50.21% of the votes to become the new mayor of Blagoevgrad.

Photo: Metodi Baykushev Facebook