site.btaMedia Review: February 19

OVERVIEW

All media report on the caretaker cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Andrey Gurov to President Iliana Iotova on Wednesday. Iotova signed a decree appointing the caretaker government on Thursday morning.

POLITICS

In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Co-Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova commented on the composition of the caretaker Cabinet of Andrey Gurov and the investigation into the six violent deaths surrounding the Petrohan lodge case. She said her parliamentary group will actively insist on a full investigation and on clarifying all circumstances in their entirety. "I do not know these people. I have not been to that lodge. I have read all the materials that the prosecution service has provided to the National Assembly. It is clear that a large part of the claims are absolute insinuations being spread in the public space. What is established by the testimonies does not give rise to any thoughts or facts about possible practices connected to our political force. It is evident that this attack is directed at the periphery of the people who vote for us," she added. Iordanova said CC-DB will judge the new caretaker cabinet solely by its actions.

Iordanova noted that the minister of justice has the right to submit a proposal for a new acting prosecutor general. "We will insist that [the minister] exercises their powers," she stressed. The central political issue for Bulgaria will be the formation of the bodies that make personnel decisions in the judiciary in a way that guarantees their professionalism and political neutrality, the Co-Floor Leader said. "We rely on the fact that there is a high degree of public intolerance toward the current situation. This was evident during the unprecedented protests in December last year. We are yet to see what [former president] Rumen Radev will say on the issue of the judiciary. His statements so far have been very general. As president, he has on several occasions raised the issue, but not once has he followed through with all the available possibilities," Iordanova added.

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24 Chasa quotes an interview with Bulgarian MEP Tsvetelina Penkova for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT) from Wednesday night. Penkova said that Gurov is the one responsible for the people whom he trusted with ministerial positions in his cabinet. She added that stating this is important, since there are "ludicrous attempts to shift responsibility onto President Iliana Iotova". The MEP said that the caretaker cabinet is expected to hold fair parliamentary elections in April.

Commenting on the BSP - United Left's chances to enter parliament after the upcoming elections, Penkova shared that she believes they are substantial despite reports from polling agencies suggesting otherwise. The MEP argued that Krum Zarkov, who was elected on February 7 to lead the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the dominant party in the BSP - United Left coalition, is a proven professional with high moral standards and considerable expertise. She concluded: "He has always enjoyed great trust among socialists."

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In an interview for the BNR, journalist Mira Badjeva said that Andrey Gurov's caretaker government clearly leans to the right. She described its ministers as experts with solid professional backgrounds who are well versed in the areas they will be managing. Badjeva said that the presence of former ministers and deputy ministers in the current cabinet is good, since inexperienced ministers would have too little time to adapt before they are expected to make decisions.

The journalist noted that Atanas Zapryanov remained as Minister of Defence, which she described as a clear sign of Bulgaria retaining its Euro-Atlantic oriented policy.

Badjeva said that she believes President Iliana Iotova and caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov communicated to determine the list of people to be appointed in the caretaker cabinet. She said: "The cabinet was formed very quickly, and it really looks like a good design. It is quite balanced. I believe that this cabinet, as long as it works together quickly and avoids the major scandals that lurk at every turn, as we have seen in recent months, may prove to be a functioning government."

Commenting on the caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy Hasan Ademov and the caretaker Minister of Transport and Communications Korman Ismailov, Badjeva said: "Ademov is a man of the ARF [Alliance for Rights and Freedoms], a long-time associate of [Ahmed] Dogan [the honorary Chair of the ARF], battle-tested, a member of the old MRF [Movement for Rights and Freedom, which used to be chaired by Dogan], and, at the same time, one of the undisputed professionals in the social sphere. In addition, it is very important that he has a reputation as an honest man, which is [not often the case] in the MRF. His presence here is by no means accidental. On the other hand, we also have an opponent of Dogan – Korman Ismailov. He is one of Dogan's former young lions who rebelled against him and joined the Reformist Bloc. In other words, we have a purely ethnic signal, but also a very clear anti-Peevski [Delyan Peevski, leader of the MRF - New Beginning] signal.

BUDGET

Nova TV runs comments from a former labour minister, employers' and trade unions' representatives about the caretaker PM's pledges amidst the uncertainty surrounding the state budget. Former labour and social policy minister Hristina Hristova, head of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) Rumen Radev, and head of the Administrative Employees' Trade Union with Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, Kremena Atanassova, commented on the statements made by caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and on the steps the cabinet should take amid budget uncertainty.

Radev said that Bulgaria has a Public Finance Act that regulates how the country operates in the absence of an approved annual budget. "In such cases, a budget extension bill introduces specific clarifications and adjustments," he said. According to him, it is customary for such legislation to also regulate details related to financing and spending, including resources from the Electricity System Security Fund. "This implies the need for an additional extension bill. But overall, the philosophy is clear – we must live within our means at the moment," Radev concluded.

Hristova drew attention to serious warnings issued by the Fiscal Council and to risks facing public finances. "If we want the State to function normally, we must acknowledge that for years, it has been governed predominantly by caretaker cabinets. February 1 marks the start of the budget procedure for the following year – that is, for 2027. Yet we are currently operating under an extension budget for 2026, while at the same time having to prepare the next one," she said.

She stressed that in recent years, ill-considered legislative changes have significantly increased the expenditure side of the budget without ensuring sustainable revenue sources. "We cannot find sufficient revenue to cover the sharply increased spending, especially in the public sector. Revenue policies are in effect for six to eight months instead 

Atanassova highlighted the negative impact of frequent government changes on key public systems. "Over the past few years, we have had 10 or 11 governments in about four years. This inevitably affects the functioning of healthcare, education and the administration," she said.

According to her, beyond organizing fair elections and ensuring economic and financial stability, the caretaker cabinet must guarantee the normal operation of state systems. "Under no circumstances should heads of institutions be dismissed en masse. I am categorically opposed to such actions on a general basis," she stated.

ENERGY

In an interview for BNT quoted by 24 Chasa, Bulgarian MEP Tsvetelina Penkova said that the high electricity prices in Bulgaria are the result not of low production but of insufficient connectivity. She said: "In our part of Europe, prices are about ten times higher than in Northern Europe. The problem is not the energy mix but the lack of infrastructure and transmission capacity." The MEP compared the situation in Bulgaria to a highway with constant traffic jams, which lead to less efficiency and higher prices.

Penkova said that Bulgaria enjoys a strategic advantage thanks to its nuclear energy. She said: "Without base load energy, there can be no stable system. Nuclear energy provides us with security and predictability." She reported that the new seven-year EU budget includes funds for the construction of new nuclear power plants for the first time. This is a precedent that, according to her, clearly shows a shift in the focus of European policy. The MEP concluded: "We can talk about autonomy and security, but if Europe lacks certain natural resources, they must be imported from somewhere else. Balance is key."

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Trud reports that Vazrazhdane MP and member of the parliamentary Committee on Energy Yordan Todorov contacted the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SCPO) and the State Agency for National Security to insist on a complete and independent investigation into the safety of the Kozloduy NPP due to "possible crimes committed in the line of duty and threats to national security". The reason for Todorov's report is two emergency shutdowns of Unit 6 of the plant in December 2025 and its planned third shutdown in February 2026. The MP said that the cause of the incidents is a defect in the protective membrane devices of the turbine moisture separator reheater. He specified that the defects arose after the plant's management decided to replace the original Russian kits with Bulgarian membranes manufactured according to blueprints and under the control of Kozloduy NPP.

JUSTICE

Capital runs a story about how Emilia Rusinova was elected Sofia City Prosecutor amid controversy. Rusinova was unanimously elected Sofia City Prosecutor by the Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council on Wednesday, the same day the new caretaker government was announced.

Until then, Rusinova had been serving as acting head of the Sofia City Prosecutor's Office (SCPO). A previous procedure to appoint a city prosecutor collapsed last spring after the sole candidate, Supreme Cassation Prosecutor Angel Iliev, withdrew without providing reasons.

Although two candidates formally ran in Wednesday's procedure, the other nominee, Boyko Atanassov, received no votes.

The SCPO plays a key role in Bulgaria's judicial system. It handles criminal cases against ministers, magistrates and other individuals with immunity, crimes against the Republic and terrorism cases, as well as cases within the competence of the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

Rusinova has been a prosecutor since 2001, starting at the Sofia District Prosecutor's Office. She was promoted to the SCPO in 2009. In February of the same year, she became deputy city prosecutor. She later served as acting city prosecutor until 2016, when she was formally appointed to the post.

She remained in that position until February 2020, when she was elected deputy appellate prosecutor of Sofia. From June 12, 2024, until the end of May 2025, she served as acting appellate prosecutor of Sofia, before returning to head the SCPO in an acting capacity.

Two aspects stand out in her professional record. Since 2014 she has consistently held senior positions within the Sofia City and Sofia Appellate prosecution offices, and her name has surfaced in parliamentary and journalistic investigations related to alleged influence networks in the judiciary. Rusinova's name was mentioned in a parliamentary inquiry into alleged criminal influence networks linked to the groups of Martin Bozhanov and Petyo Petrov.

According to testimony by Petrov's ex-wife, Lyubena Pavlova, Rusinova was a regular visitor to Petrov's office at The Eight Dwarfs restaurant and allegedly received instructions and money in connection with cases. Pavlova later changed her testimony and publicly denied Rusinova's involvement, as well as that of Borislav Sarafov, in the so-called Eight Dwarfs affair.

A probe by the Inspectorate to the Supreme Judicial Council concluded without finding evidence of violations.

Investigations by the civic movement BOEC and the investigative outlet BIRD have also claimed that Rusinova's name appears in the archive of the fugitive Petyo Petrov. Media reports last year, following leaked recordings from Petrov's office involving European Prosecutor Teodora Georgieva, alleged that Rusinova had introduced Georgieva to him.

In addition, in the autumn of 2025, Sofia City Prosecutor Ivaylo Zanev stated in an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Fund that the probe into the large-scale corruption scheme known as Hemusgate had been obstructed by the prosecution's leadership, allegedly with Rusinova's involvement. Zanev, the initial supervising prosecutor in the case, was removed from it in November 2023 by then deputy appellate prosecutor Rusinova shortly before he was to file a 400-page indictment against nine defendants on charges including participation in an organized crime group, embezzlement and money laundering. No further developments in the case have been publicly reported since his removal.

During Wednesday's hearing, no members of the Prosecutors Chamber raised questions regarding these matters.

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Citizens are set to gather on Thursday evening in protest over the latest court ruling in the murder case of Evgeniya Vladimirova, organizers told Dnevnik. The protest is scheduled to take place in front of the Palace of Justice in Sofia. The case concerns the October 2021 killing of Yevgenia Vladimirova in Sofia's Lagera borough.

The demonstration follows a recent decision by the Sofia Appellate Court, which reduced the sentence of Vladimirova's husband, Orlin Vladimirov, from life imprisonment to 20 years in prison. His father, Plamen Vladimirov, was fully acquitted.

In late February of last year, the Sofia Appellate Court fully upheld the first-instance judgment of the Sofia City Court, which sentenced Orlin Vladimirov and his father, Plamen Vladimirov, to life imprisonment for the 2021 murder of Evgeniya Vladimirova, committed with exceptional cruelty and in a particularly painful manner for the victim. In early December, it became clear that the Supreme Court of Cassation had referred the case back to the Sofia Appellate Court for a new hearing. The decision was issued with a dissenting opinion from one member of the panel. The panel identified procedural violations by the appellate court.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Trud and 24 Chasa quote Milen Keremedchiev, businessman and former candidate for Parliament from the There Is Such a People party, who published on his Facebook page a photograph of Sofia Airport from Thursday morning with the caption: "Currently, there are seven American military tanker aircraft for refuelling fighter jets in the air, three C-17 and C-130 cargo planes, and several Boeing 747s for transporting soldiers. All of them are on their way to Iran. Apparently, things are going to heat up there very soon." The daily goes on to cite CNN's report that the US military is ready to strike Iran as early as this weekend, however, US President Donald Trump is yet to decide whether such actions are necessary.