site.btaPresident Consults Midsize Parliamentary Groups on Caretaker PM Procedure

President Iliana Iotova Wednesday continued her consultations with parliamentary groups prior to appointing a caretaker prime minister under the constitutional procedure. She received representatives of MRF - New Beginning, followed by BSP - United Left and There Is Such a People (TISP).

An invitation had also been extended to Vazrazhdane, but party leader Kostadin Kostadinov "categorically rejected the invitation for further consultations" with President Iotova, the party's press centre said on Monday.

The head of State has already held consultations with two out of the nine parliamentary groups in the 51st National Assembly: GERB-UDF and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria.

Under the 2023 constitutional amendments, following consultations with parliamentary groups and upon proposal by the caretaker prime minister-designate, the President appoints a caretaker government and schedules early elections within two months. The Constitution lists ten senior public officials as eligible for the office of caretaker prime minister: the National Assembly chair, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) governor and the three deputy governors, the Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO) president and the two vice presidents, and the National Ombudsman and the Deputy Ombudsman. Of the ten Iotova met with last week, five said they were ready to serve as caretaker prime minister: BNB Deputy Governor Andrey Gurov, BNAO President Dimitar Glavchev and Vice Presidents Margarita Nikolova and Silvia Kadreva, and Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova.

At the start of the consultations with MRF - New Beginning, Iotova said that snap parliamentary elections as soon as possible after Easter should be the goal. The first Sunday after this year's Easter is April 19. "The goal is to hold fair, transparent, well-organized elections. This will also be the most important task of the future caretaker cabinet," she noted. The President said that the way the caretaker cabinet will operate depends largely on the political responsibility of the National Assembly. Iotova argued that the latest amendments to the Constitution that limited the President's choice when it comes to appointing a caretaker prime minister were unwarranted. "So today I must name one of the five who have agreed to serve as caretaker prime ministers. Neither president Radev nor I had a say in their selection, and we cannot be held responsible for the caretaker government. That responsibility lies with the National Assembly. Given these amendments, I will name one of those who said 'yes,' but that is not my choice," the President underscored.

MRF - New Beginning Deputy Floor Leader Iskra Mihaylova-Koparova said the primary task of the caretaker government is to guarantee fair and transparent elections that will restore the trust of the Bulgarian public in the system, political parties and institutions. The caretaker prime minister, who will be named by the President and will also carry the head of State’s responsibility, will be accountable both for holding fair elections and for the normal functioning of the State, Mihaylova said. The constitutional amendments reinforce the responsibility of both the presidential institution and the National Assembly, Mihaylova argued. She also said that her parliamentary group sees Iotova as a partner, with whom dialogue is possible even on issues where they differ. The MP added that they appreciate Iotova’s efforts to normalize relations between the presidential institution and the National Assembly. 

During the consultations with BSP - United Left, Iotova reiterated that the responsibility for the caretaker cabinet lies entirely with the National Assembly. "Many, if not all, have their arguments and proposals that clearly speak to the invalidity of the [2023] constitutional amendments," Iotova said. The President congratulated BSP - United Left on voting against the revisions. These amendments deprived the President of the right to choose a caretaker prime minister and government, Iotova noted. "My hope is that with a stable majority in the next parliament, these changes to the Constitution will be seriously reconsidered so that we appear sufficiently serious as institutions not only in the eyes of our European partners but also in the eyes of our own citizens," the head of State commented.

BSP - United Left Floor Leader Dragomir Stoynev said that difficult times lie ahead, which is why all political forces, as well as Parliament, must assist the caretaker cabinet in its work. Stoynev expressed hope that Bulgaria will avoid getting caught up in a spiral of consecutive early parliamentary elections. He later told reporters that BSP - United Left proposes that Parliament consider at second reading the 2026 State Budget Bill submitted by the outgoing government at the end of 2025. He recalled that the bill was the result of an agreement with trade unions and employers. 

Meeting with TISP, Iotova said that there is a price shock that Bulgaria has to cope with. Iotova added that the country is currently operating under an extended budget, which was not intended for a country that is already in the euro area. The State cannot stop working, and the caretaker prime minister must be aware of the most pressing issues facing the country and work together with the National Assembly to resolve them, the President went on to say. She underscored that the latest constitutional changes have deprived the presidential institution of any choice in the process of appointing a caretaker government and "undermine the authority of Bulgarian institutions." She noted that even the amendments' authors acknowledge their inconsistency. 

According to There Is Such a People, among the five who have agreed to take the post of caretaker prime minister, there are two who are strongly politically biased. TISP Floor Leader Tosho Yordanov recalled that Bulgarian National Bank Deputy Governor Andrey Gyurov used to be floor leader of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, and Bulgarian National Audit Office head Dimitar Glavchev was chairman of the National Assembly on behalf of GERB. "As for the other three [candidates], it is now your responsibility to decide whether you will accept such an argument, but in order for citizens to feel more at ease in this strange situation, in which you are choosing one of the five who have agreed, it might be good to choose someone who is not politically biased, so that we can feel more confident that the elections will be fairer," Yordanov told President Iotova. Speaking to reporters after the consultations, Yordanov said that TISP would not vote in favour of the 2026 State Budget Bill if it is tabled again in Parliament, as proposed by BSP - United Left earlier on Wednesday. 

On Thursday, President Iotova is scheduled to hold consultations on the appointment of a caretaker prime minister with the parliamentary groups of Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF), MECh and Velichie.

A caretaker government and early general elections became unavoidable after the regular  government of Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned on December 11, 2025 following massive anti-government protests in Sofia and other cities across the country.  They were triggered by the Cabinet's controversial budget plans but escalated into anti-government discontent over corruption, injustice, and failure in many governance sectors. After the cabinet-forming mandates handed by then President Rumen Radev to three parliamentary groups (GERB-UDF, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and Alliance for Rights and Freedoms) failed, the head of State was required to appoint a caretaker prime minister and schedule early parliamentary elections within two months. On January 20, Radev resigned the presidency and then Vice President Iliana Iotova became president on January 23, 2025. Last week, she consulted the ten senior public officials eligible for the office of caretaker prime minister. Next, in line with the constitutional provisions, Iotova is holding consultations with the parliamentary groups before making her choice public.