site.btaVazrazhdane Leader on GERB-UDF's Proposal to Choose Caretaker PM Beyond Individuals Touted: Constitution Has Lost Meaning

Approached by journalists on Tuesday, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov commented that the proposal by GERB-UDF to elect a caretaker prime minister beyond the officials already touted, including among the other 239 MPs, is something possible in theory but hardly in practice. "When we can make such proposals, it means that the Constitution has practically lost its full meaning, he believes.

In his words, this confirms Vazrazhdane's position that Bulgaria needs a new Constitution, a new system of government, and a new social contract.

Under the Constitution, the pool of potential caretaker prime ministers from which the President must choose is limited to the Chairperson of the National Assembly, the Governor or Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the President or a Vice-President of the National Audit Office, and the National Ombudsman or a Deputy Ombudsman.

During consultations with President Iliana Iotova earlier on Tuesday, GERB-UDF said it is ready to back the election of a new National Assembly chair to serve as caretaker prime minister.

Vazrazhdane always has its own candidates for chair of the National Assembly, Kostadinov noted, listing Petar Petrov and Tsvetana Rangelova. He added that his party has always been ready to take on the responsibility of leading the National Assembly and governing the country. However, this cannot happen, because the proposals of Vazrazhdane have not been approved, Kostadinov argued. "We do not currently see anyone outside Vazrazhdane for whom we can vote in this composition of Parliament," he commented.

Kostadinov called on President Iotova to appoint a caretaker government as soon as possible and set a date for elections. "We see backroom deals and agreements between GERB and MRF - New Beginning, on the one hand, and former president Rumen Radev, on the other, to delay the elections and create, perhaps, some additional conditions," Kostadinov said.