site.btaMedia Review: February 20

POLITICS

All dailies report on the new caretaker government, headed by caretaker PM Andrey Gurov.

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Trud writes that Bulgaria’s 106th government, the 12th caretaker cabinet, is sworn in on February 19, 2026, and that political scientist Milena Stefanova warns its work risks sliding into the election campaign. She questions the post of Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tzitzelkov, saying: “This is a beast the likes of which we’ve never seen before.”

It adds that Stefanova says Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov “took full responsibility” for the cabinet but the decree is signed by President Iliana Iotova, while the retention of Caretaker Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov and the appointment of Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynsky point to continuity in security and foreign policy.

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Trud reports that caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tzitzelkov has turned election integrity into a profitable business, alleging that he and his mother, Rumyana Decheva, have joined European Commission election-observation missions paying EUR 18,000 to EUR 36,000 per mission. It adds that There Is Such a People (TISP) floor leader Toshko Yordanov claims the European Commission imposed a five-year ban on Tzitzelkov’s participation in EU missions after an alleged hotel-room incident in Ghana, and that TISP is seeking his resignation.

Trud reports that GERB-UDF MP Delyan Dobrev and TISP leader Slavi Trifonov criticized Tzitzelkov over a Facebook post on the Petrohan lodge case. “I knew human degradation had no bottom, but this is the first time I’ve seen it in real life,” Trifonov said. Trud adds that court and police records show a 2014 drink-driving conviction, later rehabilitated, and two police stops involving small amounts of marijuana.

Trud says the dispute has been fuelled by Tzitzelkov’s social media activity. It says he shared a collage of former president Rumen Radev and GERB leader Boyko Borissov with the caption: "In a few weeks, the average voter will get a "special offer": cast your vote for one bald general, and they’ll throw in a second one for free."

Trud adds that he later limited public posts and cited a well-known early-transition slogan, “What a country, if I’m its deputy prime minister!”, widely attributed to former deputy prime minister Neycho Neev in Lyuben Berov’s government.

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 24 Chasa writes that Tzitzelkov says a “massive attack” against him targets the caretaker cabinet and the cause of fair elections and warns that those who “smeared” him will “meet” him in court. It adds that Iotova says she would immediately sign a decree dismissing him if Gurov proposes it, while Caretaker Minister of the Interior Emil Dechev orders the Sofia Police Directorate to check claims about Tzitzelkov’s past; the paper says its own search of the judicial system finds a final drink-driving conviction from 2015 for a person with initials matching his.

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All outlets report on Friday morning that Tzitzelkov has tendered his resignation after two days of pressure and controversy over his appointment. “For two days a massive attack has been running against me. It is not personal. I am just a convenient target,” he says.

Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported that Tzitzelkov called the criticism an attack on the cabinet’s core mission and said he has “no charges, no convictions, and no active restrictions.” He added that he will pursue legal action over the “illegal disclosure of personal data” and “abuse of power,” and that after a “difficult” meeting with Gurov, he will submit his resignation to Gurov and Iotova so the focus can return to “political programmes and platforms.”

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In an interview for bTV, Iotova discussed her reservations about some appointments in the Gurov caretaker cabinet, including Tzitzelkov’s, the role of caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev, judicial reform, acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, the Petrohan lodge case, Rumen Radev’s criticism of political involvement by cabinet members, the presence of US military aircraft at Vasil Levski Airport, US-Iran tensions, and her decision to run in the next presidential election.

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Dnevnik also covers Iotova’s bTV interview and reports that she says she will wait until after the April parliamentary election before deciding whether to run in the autumn presidential election, without ruling out a bid.

The daily adds that Iotova says she has received invitations from “various public figures, groups and parties” to run, but will decide only after assessing her post-election performance and level of public support. She says she will enter the race only if she believes she has done her job well and has “the trust of the people.”

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Telegraph reports that Iotova says she would immediately sign a decree dismissing Tzitzelkov if Gurov proposes it, after learning from the media about parts of his biography.

The paper says Iotova links the structure of the caretaker cabinet to constitutional amendments that reduced the President’s role in forming such governments. It adds she ties vote-buying to poverty and corporate pressure, calls for penalties for both sellers and buyers, and says Interior Minister Emil Dechev can introduce measures to safeguard the vote.

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24 Chasa reports that GERB holds a national assembly on March 22 to elect new leadership ahead of the election campaign, which under the Central Election Commission schedule starts at midnight on March 20, 2026. It adds that leader Boyko Borissov is expected to be re-elected chair, with possible changes among his deputies and the executive committee, as he calls for full mobilization.

It adds that Borissov gathers former prime minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and GERB ministers to review the handover to Gurov’s cabinet and cites eurozone entry, Schengen, progress on the Recovery and Resilience Plan and “over EUR 10 billion more” in the state coffers as achievements. Quoted by 24 Chasa, Borissov says Bulgaria has again become a partner of the European Commission and the US, adds that the caretaker cabinet must deliver fair elections, notes GERB’s consent for Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov to stay on, and says Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski has recognized the outgoing cabinet’s work, while dismissing talk of a Rumen Radev party: “There is no party, no people, nothing to comment on.”

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Duma reports that BSP National Council Chair Krum Zarkov tells a meeting of the party’s regional council in Blagoevgrad that the April 19 election is decisive for restoring trust in the left and that change must be reflected both in policy and in the party’s communication. “Renewal in the party must be visible not only in the leadership, but also in the parliamentary candidate lists,” Zarkov says.

It adds that Zarkov urges BSP to nominate local activists who have kept campaigning through the recent run of elections without losing momentum, and says the party has 60 days to show “a new face, a new profile and behaviour.” Duma reports that he argues a strong BSP presence in the next parliament is needed to break the cycle of repeat elections and instability.

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Dnevnik reports that media analyst Georgi Lozanov argues that an increasingly entrenched “status quo” is trying to push Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) off the political map, mainly by targeting Continue the Change (CC) and seeking to split it from Democratic Bulgaria (DB). He adds that the pressure has also taken on a geopolitical dimension, leaving CC-DB as the only force still “on the tram of democracy,” a phrase he attributes to Erdogan.

Dnevnik adds that Lozanov describes a rolling, cross-party offensive driven by insults, corruption narratives and selective “kompromat,” including the Petrohan lodge case, with former president Rumen Radev joining in by calling CC “charlatans.” The daily says Lozanov links the escalation to the fall of the Petkov government, the subsequent “patchwork coalition” with GERB, and attacks amplified by MRF Chair Delyan Peevski, arguing that arrests and protests have turned the standoff into a test of whether voters will defend CC-DB against what he presents as politicized pressure.

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Dnevnik reports that MRF – New Beginning, There Is Such a People (TISP) and MECH MPs attack Gurov’s cabinet in Parliament over the Petrohan lodge case, alleging links between ministers and crimes related to the affair. It notes that TISP floor leader Toshko Yordanov singles out caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov, Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski, Interior Minister Emil Dechev and Agriculture and Food Minister Ivan Hristanov, linking each to different aspects of the case and related public claims.

It adds that MRF Chair Delyan Peevski issues a statement saying his group will not attend the cabinet’s swearing-in and says, “This is hypocrisy and substitution.” Dnevnik also reports that MECH leader Radostin Vasilev says, “Paedophilia must not be protected,” warning the case could be covered up.

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Mediapool.bg reports that caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister Hasan Ademov has pledged to prevent any use of social benefits to influence voting. “I will be absolutely uncompromising toward any attempts to use the instruments of social policy to influence how Bulgarian citizens vote,” Ademov says. He cites past cases of pressure, warning: “If you do not vote a certain way, there will be no hot lunch, no social assistance, and no energy aid.” He adds that inspections will be conducted and measures taken wherever violations are found.

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Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported that caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov has convened a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council with a single agenda item: appointing an acting prosecutor general. According to BNR, Yankulov announced the move on social media and cited a position by the Supreme Court of Cassation’s criminal chamber that Bulgaria has had no lawfully appointed acting prosecutor general since July 21, 2025.

It added that Yankulov called the situation institutionally untenable: “A situation in which the top judges do not recognize the prosecutor general is intolerable in a state governed by the rule of law,” he wrote, arguing it erodes trust in the prosecution service and the justice system. BNR also reported that he criticizes acting prosecutor general Borislav Sarafov for failing to deliver on key pledges, including dismantling the parallel justice network.

ECONOMY

24 Chasa reports that Lidl Bulgaria posts record export sales of Bulgarian-made products through the group’s European network in 2025, totaling EUR 66.4 million for 34 companies in 28 countries, up 21.8% year-on-year. It says the second consecutive annual increase points to a sustained trend, with niche and innovative foods gaining ground alongside staples.

The paper adds that Corte Diletto expands its ice-cream mochi to 25 markets, while Victoria Nuts’ chocolate-coated fruit enters the permanent assortment in Germany, Austria and Slovenia. 24 Chasa reports that the largest markets by turnover are Greece (EUR 17.9 million) and Romania (EUR 16.6 million), and says Germany records growth of more than 75%, with the strongest expansion in Western Europe, including a fourfold rise in Spain and triple-digit growth in the UK, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

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Duma reports that wholesale prices for several staple foods have jumped in the first weeks after Bulgaria joined the eurozone, citing State Commission for Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets data showing sharp rises in peppers and zucchini by February 13, 2026. It adds that potatoes, cabbage and lemons are also up by around 20% to 25% over the period, despite low headline inflation.

The paper notes that year-on-year comparisons show much larger increases than a year earlier under similar seasonal conditions but without a currency changeover. Duma adds that tomatoes are up year-on-year after falling last year, while dairy prices are mixed, with butter rising the most and yoghurt declining.

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Capital reports that Plovdiv-based construction company Elveko Elektromontazhi has spent a decade in a dispute over EU funding after applying under the Competitiveness programme to buy a new excavator worth BGN 1.4 million. It notes that the company took what it considered the safer option by requesting an ex ante review of its tender documentation by Economy Ministry experts, including what the article describes as a three-stage preliminary assessment.

It adds that despite these reviews, the ministry later sanctioned Elveko twice over what Capital presents as a formal issue it had effectively cleared earlier, raising a non bis in idem concern about being penalized twice for the same matter. The outlet says the case has left significant amounts frozen pending a court ruling and argues that this kind of administrative literalism amounts to bureaucratic pressure that discourages small and medium-sized firms from applying for EU support.

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Capital reports that preliminary Eurostat data place Bulgaria at both extremes of the EU’s regional GDP ranking for 2024: the South Central region records the fastest growth in the EU at 11.6%, while the Southeastern region posts the steepest drop at 12.7% and is the only EU region with a double-digit contraction. Economists cited by the outlet attribute the downturn in the Southeast mainly to a slowdown in energy-driven activity around Stara Zagora as prices normalize, while South Central benefits from industrial expansion around Plovdiv.

The outlet says regional disparities are widening. National Statistical Institute data show the Southwestern region, including Sofia, generates just over half of national GDP, while the Northwestern region accounts for 6.5%. Several regions remain below one-third of the EU average in purchasing-power-adjusted GDP per capita, as Sofia rises to 43% above the EU average. Analysts point to education, investment and infrastructure, and Capital reports the gap between Sofia and the weakest region widens year on year, from 4.8 times to 5.3 times.

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Nova TV aired a morning show debate between Vasil Velev of the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) and Plamen Dimitrov of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (CITUB) on the widening pay gap between the public and private sectors, after official data for the last quarter of 2025 put average gross pay at BGN 2,844 in state bodies versus BGN 2,621 in the private sector. Velev said the net gap was even wider because some public-sector employees pay only the 10% income tax, while private-sector employees also pay 22.4% in social security contributions. “The difference in net incomes is BGN 526 on average,” he said.

It added that Dimitrov rejected the comparison as misleading, arguing that the public sector is not uniform and that real wage growth in recent years was similar once inflation is considered. “We should talk with statistics, not cooked-up numbers,” Dimitrov said, adding that the gap varies by quarter and could narrow as private-sector pay catches up.

WORLD

Trud reports that caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky says she will review Bulgaria’s commitments linked to US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to see “exactly what was signed.” The paper adds that she took office in the absence of outgoing minister Georg Georgiev and was introduced by incoming deputy minister Marin Raykov.

Neynsky says the initiative’s legal status remains unclear to her and to Bulgaria’s EU partners, and that ratification is on hold pending clarification on whether the charter is an international treaty and what the financial implications are. She adds that UN Security Council Resolution 2803 concerns peace in Gaza and says Trump’s attempt to broaden the initiative raises further questions.

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bTV reported that US military aircraft were spotted at Vasil Levski Airport in Sofia on Wednesday. Official information linked the flights to NATO “enhanced vigilance” activities and the Steadfast Dart exercise aimed at bolstering the Alliance’s eastern flank. bTV said former defence minister Velizar Shalamanov described the movements as part of heightened measures following drone incidents in countries such as Poland and Romania, involving logistics, aerial refuelling, and equipment transfers.

bTV also cited Arabist Prof Vladimir Chukov, who placed the flights in the wider context of rising tensions around Iran and US-Tehran relations, noting that some aircraft arrived from the UK and that international media are discussing scenarios including possible strikes on Iran. Shalamanov said Bulgaria’s position is clear as a NATO and EU member whose security is tied to its strategic partnership with the US. Both analysts pointed to continuity in the caretaker cabinet as a signal, citing Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov staying on and Nadezhda Neynsky returning as foreign minister as indicators of a firmly pro-Western course.

SOCIETY

Dnevnik says the suicide of 18-year-old student Bilgin Alishev from Nova Mahala, and a Ministry of Education and Science review confirming years of widely known bullying by a teacher, have renewed focus on the scale of school bullying and the authorities’ response. It cites an OECD working paper published on February 13 that uses Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data from 2015 to 2022 to create a six-item bullying intensity index. Bulgaria is around the OECD average in 2022, at about 1.5, after peaking in 2018 near 3.5, consistent with bullying “once a week or more.”

The OECD warns the drop from 2018 to 2022 may reflect reduced in-person contact during COVID-19 rather than lasting progress, and that cyberbullying is hard to separate in PISA as the boundary between school and home keeps fading. “School bullying wears through rock with persistence,” psychologist Mladen Vladimirov says. “If Nova Mahala does not make us change the system, we will all share the blame,” says Maria Brestnichka of the National Network for Children.

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Capital reports that, amid violent crime and attacks on local officials, Interior Minister Daniel Mitov tasks the Directorate General for Combating Organized Crime (DGCOC) with tracing the IP address behind the satirical Facebook page Kopeikin, which mocks Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov. It says Vazrazhdane MP Stoyan Taslakov complained to Mitov after the page shared a December 30 video showing a man in Panagyurishte stepping on the Russian flag, and that Mitov then asked DGCOC to identify the page’s administrator.

The outlet adds that the administrator tells the media: “If DGCOC knocks on my door, I will answer all their ridiculous questions… I think they just want to know who I am so they can later exert some pressure on me.” Capital argues DGCOC should not be able to obtain such data lawfully in the first place, and says the broader issue is why the State seeks the administrator’s identity when the page is sharing content widely reposted by others, warning that the same logic could be extended to anyone who shares politically sensitive material.