site.btaUPDATED President Iotova to Decree Appointment of Caretaker Cabinet, Holding Snap General Elections on April 19

President Iliana Iotova said here on Wednesday after caretaker Prime Minister-designate Andrey Gurov presented his proposal for a cabinet line up, that she will decree the appointment of the caretaker cabinet and will issue another decree for holding the early parliamentary elections on April 19, 2026.  

“I will issue a decree appointing your caretaker cabinet and will expect you to take the oath before the National Assembly. I will also issue a decree scheduling parliamentary elections for April 19,” Iliana Iotova said.

The April vote will be the eighth since 2021.

Following protests at the end of last year, the government led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned, and Rumen Radev held consultations with parliamentary parties. At the beginning of this year, Radev handed three exploratory mandates to form a government — to GERB-UDF, Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria, and Alliance for Rights and Freedoms — but all three were immediately returned unfulfilled, making early parliamentary elections inevitable.

On February 12, Iotova appointed Bulgarian National Bank Deputy Governor Andrey Gyurov as caretaker prime minister and tasked him with proposing the composition of a government.

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