site.btaDSB Leader Atanassov: Replacing Regional Governors Is Standard Practice

Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) Chair Atanas Atanassov said on Tuesday that whenever a new government takes office, it is the accepted practice for them to replace the regional governors. He was speaking to the press and was asked to comment on the dismissal of regional governors by the caretaker government of Andrey Gurov and criticism that members of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), of which DSB is part, had been appointed.

Atanassov said regional governors are the government’s representatives in each region, and it is entirely normal for a cabinet to appoint its own nominees according to its criteria. He added that CC-DB had not participated in the selection process. He noted that some appointees are linked to the coalition while others are not, and pointed out that, given the short mandate of a caretaker cabinet, finding qualified candidates is not easy. Therefore, the Prime Minister and the Government have the right to turn to the coalition’s activists, he said.

Regarding a possible replacement of directors of regional directorates of the Ministry of Interior, Atanassov said he had long maintained, based on information available to him, that there was sufficient evidence that a considerable number had not only turned a blind eye during previous elections but that some had also participated in covering up vote buying. He argued that this information should be made public and кадровите decisions should follow on that basis.