site.btaRumen Radev's Cabinet Sworn In, Politicians React to Lineup

Parliament voted Friday to approve the composition of the new Cabinet with Prime Minister Rumen Radev. All of the votes in favour, a total of 122, came from Progressive Bulgaria.  Democratic Bulgaria (21 MPs), Movement for Rights and Freedoms (21 MPs), Continue the Change (16 MPs) and Vazrazhdane (12 MPs) voted against, while GERB-UDF's 36 MPs abstained.

The members of the newly elected Council of Ministers were then sworn in before the 52nd National Assembly.

President Iliana Iotova, previously Radev's vice president, said that she knows a significant number of the new ministers and has worked with them in various capacities. “I believe they have the professional experience and the courage to lead,” she stated. The head of State added that she has no reservations about the ministers she knows and has worked with. When asked about new ministers associated with There Is Such a People, a party that was in the previous parliament but failed to garner enough votes to win seats in the 52nd National Assembly, Iotova replied that she does not believe they joined Radev’s Government as TISP representatives. Their expert knowledge has clearly been valued, and Radev has placed great trust in them, the head of State added.

Following is the Radev Cabinet:

Prime Minister - Rumen Radev

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance – Galab Donev

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry – Alexander Poulev

Deputy Prime Minister – Ivo Hristov

Deputy Prime Minister – Atanas Pekanov

Minister of Interior – Ivan Demerdzhiev

Minister of Defence – Dimitar Stoyanov

Minister of Foreign Affairs – Velislava Petrova-Chamova

Minister of Justice – Nikolay Naydenov

Minister of Labour and Social Policy – Nataliya Efremova

Minister of Education and Science – Georgi Valchev

Minister of Health – Katya Ivkova

Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation – Ivan Vasilev

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works – Ivan Shishkov

Minister of Energy – Iva Petrova

Minister of Transport and Communications – Georgi Peev

Minister of Agriculture and Food – Plamen Abrovski

Minister of Environment and Water – Rositsa Karamfilova-Blagova

Minister of Culture – Evtim Miloshev

Minister of Tourism – Ilin Dimitrov

Minister of Youth and Sports – Encho Keryazov

Plenary Debate on Proposed Cabinet Lineup

Shortly before the vote, a plenary debate was held on the proposed lineup.

Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev addressed MPs ahead of the vote. He outlined priorities for the new government, emphasizing that achieving these goals will depend on close and effective cooperation between the government and the National Assembly. The political force's key objectives include the accelerated development and modernization of the country, as well as ensuring the security and well-being of Bulgarian citizens. “To achieve these goals, we will work to dismantle the oligarchic model that has taken hold of the country and to restore justice,” Radev said. “We will work to preserve peace and prevent Bulgaria from being drawn into the military conflicts around us,” he added. Among the other priorities Radev identified were ensuring a dignified and effective role for Bulgaria in Europe and on the global stage, strengthening national sovereignty, defending Bulgaria’s national interests, pursuing a constructive approach within the alliances of which this country is a member, and achieving full membership in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Progressive Bulgaria MP Konstantin Prodanov argued the lineup “is not simply a list of names, but a pragmatic, capable, and well-prepared team with the expertise to guide Bulgaria through today’s global challenges.“

GERB-UDF MP Toma Bikov said his parliamentary group will not support the cabinet composition but will abstain as it respects the vote of the citizens. “This does not mean that we will not vote ‘against’ the moment we see that the government is not doing the right things, because what is popular is not always right,” said Bikov. "I hope that in the coming months we can put the cliches aside - political manoeuvring, power shifts, oligarchies, and so on. We hope that the diagnosis that Bulgaria is an oligarchic state will be revised, and that ultimately we will accept that Bulgaria has been a democracy for 30 years and that the Bulgarian people, whenever they have wanted to, have been able to change those in power and have done so. That is democracy," he added. 

Democratic Bulgaria Deputy Floor Leader Bozhidar Bozhanov said the parliamentary group will not back the proposed cabinet but he wished its members "success in the uphill task to eliminate the systematic prerequisites for the political crisis that brought them to power." He said that Democratic Bulgaria will support all the right policies related to counter-corruption, the country's modernization, easing the red-tape burden, and optimizing public spending, but will strongly oppose any attempts to complete the State capture and consolidate unlawful influence. "The parliamentary group will oppose any deviation from the mandate to carry out reforms and to eliminate State capture, as well as any attempt at an eastward turn," he emphasized. Bozhanov also expressed doubt that the model will be dismantled, provided that "old circles of economic interests are lurking behind certain ministers." According to him, There Is Such a People is represented in the new cabinet lineup.

Continue the Change Chair and MP Assen Vassilev highlighted that Progressive Bulgaria won their electoral support by claiming to carry out the “dismantling of the ‘Borissov-Peevski model’ [named after GERB-UDF Floor Leader Boyko Borissov and Movement for Rights and Freedoms Floor Leader Delyan Peevski].” According to him, this "dismantling" consists of two parts - “ensuring there is justice, that decisions in the judicial system and the prosecution are taken as prescribed by law, rather than as ordered by someone over the phone”, and “ensuring that taxpayers’ money works for their benefit, rather than draining away through channels and schemes”. “At least the first part of it is, for the moment, being postponed - we hope not for long,” Vassilev said. According to him, Progressive Bulgaria faces two paths ahead: “to blame previous cabinets for every hardship, but that path is disastrous, or to realistically assess what can be done and then do it.”

Vazrazhdane Floor Leader Kostadin Kostadinov said his parliamentary group will not support the Radev cabinet because of ideological differences. "We want Bulgaria to be a sovereign and independent state, to have its own currency and a strong economy, and for Bulgarian citizens to return to Bulgaria rather than leave," he noted. At the beginning of his speech, Kostadinov recalled Radev’s statement from May 9, 2025, when as president at the time he said he would propose to Parliament a referendum on the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria in 2026. "Citizens’ trust in institutions has been lost in recent years. Prime minister-designate Rumen Radev announced that the political crisis is over, but in my opinion, it will end when the institutions regain the trust of the sovereign. I do not know how that will happen, however, when Radev says one thing in 2025 and another in 2026," the Vazrazhdane Floor Leader said.