site.btaUPDATED Issue of High Electricity Bills, Rising Water Prices Used for Political Purposes - Caretaker PM

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov Friday said that the issue of high electricity bills and rising water prices was being exploited for political purposes.

Gurov said that they had received numerous reports from concerned citizens in recent days about higher water prices and electricity bills. “The issue is being used for political purposes and to shift responsibility, so let us be very clear — electricity bills are not a surprise,” he said at news briefing at the Council of Ministers after holding a meeting with the relevant ministers. 

Gurov noted that several electricity price increases had been approved last year and that higher consumption during the winter months had naturally led to higher bills. These decisions were made before the current administration took office, he said. He added that the same applied to water prices. A proposal to increase water tariffs was approved in December last year by the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, but its implementation was delayed for several months so that it would "explode in the hands of the caretaker Cabinet". 

“These were actions taken by the previous Cabinet. In other words, we do not have a new government and new prices — we have a new beginning and new prices,” Gurov said, with 'new beginning' being a nod to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning.

“I understand that this is the political response, but people are genuinely worried about their bills. That is why I convened an urgent meeting today with the relevant ministers to propose concrete measures to ease the pressure on citizens,” Gurov said.

He added that while a caretaker government cannot implement long-term policies, it can ensure oversight and offer transparency to the people.

Gurov said that it must be clarified why water price increases were unlawfully delayed for three months, “only to explode in the hands of the caretaker Cabinet, and who managed to coordinate the simultaneous action by almost all water and sewerage companies at this particular moment.”

On electricity prices, the caretaker prime minister said that citizens are expected to monitor their own consumption by comparing the amounts charged on their bills with their actual meter readings.