site.btaPresident Meets Central Bank Governor, Deputy Governors - Only Andrey Gurov Ready to Serve as Caretaker PM

President Iliana Iotova met Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) Governor Dimitar Radev, as well as BNB Deputy Governors Petar Chobanov, Radoslav Milenkov and Andrey Gurov on Wednesday as part of the procedure for appointing a caretaker cabinet. Only Gurov said he is ready to serve as caretaker prime minister.

Under the Bulgarian National Bank Act, if the Governor or a Deputy Governor has expressly agreed to be appointed caretaker prime minister, they must submit their resignation.

Here's how the talks went: 

Central Bank Governor Dimitar Radev told journalists that if he accepts to become a caretaker prime minister, "it would constitute a violation of the Bulgarian and European legislation, as well as the established ethical norms." “The sanction for such a violation would be immediate resignation. Such a development carries the risk of destabilizing, perhaps, currently the most stable public institution - the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), as well as depriving the country of full representation and voting rights on the Governing Council of the European Central Bank at the very start of our membership in the eurozone,” commented the BNB Governor. According to him, this would send a very negative signal to both markets and international partners.

BNB Deputy Governor Petar Chobanov also said that he will not become caretaker prime minister. "The answer is "no", I don't think I am currently needed in that role," he told journalists. "The difference from previous procedures is that back then I said I would take on the role of caretaker prime minister only if I believed there was a risk of a constitutional crisis and no one else was willing to agree. Now the list has been expanded, and some people, even at the time of their selection, were fully aware that they could become candidates and have expressed their consent. I do not believe there will be a constitutional crisis, nor that I am needed in this role," Chobanov explained.

BNB Deputy Governor Radoslav Milenkov also said that he will not take the position. "I gave the same answer I gave the previous president the last three times," Milenkov added. He stressed that he had too many commitments at the European Central Bank and the Bulgarian National Bank. 

BNB Deputy Governor Andrey Gurov said he is ready to serve as caretaker prime minister. "I am ready to take the responsibility, if this were to happen following clear principles and no hidden conditions," he added. "Principles mean that Bulgaria is Europe, and in Europe elections are fair. Fair elections are possible when a caretaker government does not interference in the political arena, remains sufficiently neutral, and operates only within the powers granted to it by the Constitution," Gurov said. Asked whether he was concerned about the legal case involving him, Gurov said he could not comment from a legal standpoint because he was not a lawyer. "From a professional standpoint, the Administrative Court has already overturned the decision of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), which was the basis for my removal from the Governing Council. A case is now pending before the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), and at the hearing I received very strong support from the opinions of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission," Gurov said.

On Thursday, the President will receive Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva and Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova. On Friday, Iotova will meet with Bulgarian National Audit Office (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.

The pool of potential caretaker prime ministers from which the President may choose is limited to the Chairperson of the National Assembly (Raya Nazaryan), the Governor or Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (Dimitar Radev, Petar Chobanov, Andrey Gurov and Radoslav Milenkov), the President or a Vice President of the National Audit Office (Dimitar Glavchev, Margarita Nikolova and Silvia Kadreva) and the National Ombudsman (Velislava Delcheva) or the Deputy Ombudsman (Maria Filipova).