site.btaOmbudsman Stresses Need to Remain in Office, Her Deputy Ready to Serve as Caretaker PM
President Iliana Iotova met with Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva and Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova on Thursday as part of the procedure for appointing a caretaker cabinet. Filipova became the second person open to accepting to serve as caretaker prime minister after Bulgarian National Bank Deputy Governor Andrey Gurov said Wednesday he is ready to take this responisbility.
Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva stressed that the Ombudsman has no place in the executive branch. Speaking to journalists after her meeting with Iotova, she said that this has been confirmed by the past few months since she was elected public defender. During the same period last year, there were three times fewer complaints from citizens than in the period when there has been an ombudsman, Delcheva noted. There are European and international standards that also require the ombudsman to remain as independent as possible from the other branches of government, she added.
Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova said that she would accept to serve as caretaker prime minister if the President deems it appropriate. "The representative functions and the entire activity of the ombudsman institution are led by the Ombudsman; I only provide technical support," Maria Filipova replied when asked about Delcheva’s remarks. "That is also what the regulatory framework provides for, to the extent that she has delegated tasks to me. She has delegated work to me that has nothing to do with representing the institution," Filipova added.
Under the Constitution, the Ombudsman and the Deputy Ombudsman are among the possible options for caretaker prime minister. The Constitution stipulates that a caretaker prime minister shall be appointed from among the National Assembly Chair, the Governor or a Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the President of the Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO) or their deputy, and the Ombudsman or a Deputy Ombudsman.
On Wednesday, the head of State held talks with Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Governor Dimitar Radev and his deputies Petar Chobanov, Andrey Gurov and Radoslav Milenkov. Only Gurov said he is ready to serve as caretaker prime minister.
Meeting with the President on Tuesday, Parliament Chair Raya Nazaryan declined the post.
On Friday, Iotova will receive BNAO President Dimitar Glavchev and BNAO Vice Presidents Margarita Nikolova and Silvia Kadreva.
Under Article 99, paragraph 5 of the Constitution, after failure to reach agreement on forming a government, the President, following consultations with the parliamentary groups and on the proposal of the candidate for caretaker prime minister, appoints a caretaker government and schedules new parliamentary elections within two months.
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