site.btaPresident Iotova Starts Consultations with Potential Candidates for Caretaker Prime Minister

Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova has opened the constitutional procedure for appointing a caretaker prime minister. The future holder of the post will head an interim government whose main task will be to prepare early parliamentary elections following the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's government in December and the subsequent refusal of parliamentary groups to try to form a new regular government under the present National Assembly.

On Tuesday, Iotova started a series of meetings with potential candidates from the pool of senior public officials eligible to become caretaker prime minister. Her first session was with National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan.

Iotova's schedule for the rest of the week features meetings with the Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank and his three deputies on Wednesday, the Ombudsman and her deputy on Thursday, and the President of the Bulgarian National Audit Office and his two deputies on Friday. Each of them will hold a separate session with the head of State.

Comments

Emerging from her talks with President Iotova, Raya Nazaryan, the National Assembly Chair, told journalists that a political figure should not serve as caretaker prime minister because "there must be a sense of impartiality." Nazaryan added that it would be unfair if she was picked for prime minister of the future caretaker government because the choice would raise suspicions of interference in the subsequent electoral process.

Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria Co-Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova commented that the caretaker prime minister must be kept as far as possible from the influence of MP Delyan Peevski, who is a prime target of accusations of state capture and corruption. Peevski leads the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning. Iordanova stressed that the ongoing consultations should be more than a mere formality and should lead to the designation of a prime minister able to propose a functioning caretaker cabinet.

MP Hristo Rastashki of the MECh parliamentary group said that Raya Nazaryan and figures favoured by "the parties of the Establishment" are absolutely unacceptable as caretaker prime minister. According to Rastashki, almost all positions on the official list of eligible candidates have been taken by people linked to Delyan Peevski and GERB leader Boyko Borissov. "The only one we believe is more distanced is Andrey Gurov," the MECh MP said, referring to one of the deputy governors of the Bulgarian National Bank.

MP Nataliya Kiselova of BSP – United Left said that the consultations with the President should be aimed at selecting a person willing to take on the task of forming a government. Kiselova argued that it is wrong to assume that all eligible candidates will refuse the post of prime minister.