site.btaCaretaker PM, MPs Share Expectations of New Parliament

On their way into the inaugural sitting of Bulgaria's newly elected 52nd National Assembly, MPs and party leaders of various parliamentary groups spoke to journalists about their expectations of the work ahead, the election of a Chair of the Assembly, and the formation of a cabinet.

Rumen Radev, leader of the Progressive Bulgaria (PB) coalition which won the majority of votes in the April 19 early parliamentary elections, hopes that the government structure will be finalized by May 15, "since there is an enormous amount of work to be done and there are many pending reforms," as he put it.

Radev added that the State's finances are a "disaster" and will be the top priority of his parliamentary group. The election of a new Supreme Judicial Council will be prioritized as well.

"It is possible that I will be prime minister. I have never shirked responsibility. The party will decide who will assume this position. It is also highly probable that Petar Vitanov will be the PB floor leader," Radev told the media.

"It will be extremely difficult to dismantle the oligarchic model because it has permeated all government institutions and the judiciary. This will be an ongoing process. We have clear measures in place to prevent the State from being captured again," Radev said.

He denied rumours that ministries of culture and of tourism will be merged.

Commenting on the decision of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) to register two parliamentary groups in the 52nd National Assembly, Radev said that it is disappointing not only to their voters but also to PB, because they must engage with more parliamentary groups.

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Caretaker PM Andrey Gurov told journalists that he expects the new government not to back down.

"I expect the MPs to show courage and principles, to know that they are entering Parliament today because people took to the streets, and even though they may be at home now, their demands and expectations for good governance of the country remain the same," Gurov said. He was referring to mass protests last December that forced the Rosen Zhelyazkov cabinet to resign.

"Over the past two months, the caretaker cabinet has accomplished a great deal to show that Bulgaria works better without the Borissov-Peevski model, and that it is possible to work with integrity," he added, referring to GERB leader Boyko Borissov and MRF leader Delyan Peevski.

Asked if he had spoken with Radev on whether any of the members of the caretaker cabinet would be part of the Parliament-elected cabinet, Gurov answered in the negative.

Approached about the possibility of Georgi Kandev keeping his position as Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Gurov said that the best message this would send is to find the right people and provide them with the support they need to do their jobs properly.

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Galab Donev MP of Progressive Bulgaria said that his parliamentary group has decided on a nomination for the Chair of the Assembly which will be announced during the sitting. He believes that the issues troubling Bulgarian citizens will also be on PB's agenda.

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Tomislav Donchev MP of GERB-UDF singled out the cabinet formation and the adoption of a 2026 budget as the most important tasks. "The opposition must serve as an alternative because every government needs a counterpoint," he said. Asked whether they would constitute a constitutional majority [two-thirds, or 160 of the 240 MPs] required for judicial system reforms, Donchev said: "If the proposals are good, we could be [such a majority]."

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Commenting on the decision to split CC-DB into two parliamentary groups, Yes, Bulgaria Co-chair Ivaylo Mirchev said that despite this change, the MPs elected on the CC-DB ticket will do their job, highlighting that the two entities must be united for the presidential elections.

CC leader Assen Vassilev said for his part that the top priority is the urgent election of a Supreme Judicial Council. He added that his party will wait to see PB's nomination for Chair of Parliament before deciding whether to lend their support.

Democrats for Strong Bulgaria leader Atanas Atanassov said their focus in opposition would be to try and implement judicial and other reforms and closely monitor the powerholders' conduct.

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Tsoncho Ganev MP of Vazrazhdane said they will be a constructive opposition and back all proposals that are important to the people. Asked whether his parliamentary group would participate in a constitutional majority, he said they must first be invited to do so. Ganev said that if this happens, the party would enter into dialogue, but this would not mean they would automatically agree to any proposals. He added that Vazrazhdane is set to nominate a Chair and Deputy Chair of Parliament.