Ivan Demerdzhiev Takes Over as Interior Minister

Tatiana Marinova

Newly appointed Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev (left) and his predecessor Emil Dechev, Sofia, May 8, 2026 (BTA Photo/ Blagoy Kirilov)

Sofia,

08.05.2026 15:19

(BTA)

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev of the newly elected Cabinet led by Prime Minister Rumen Radev took over the post from caretaker minister Emil Dechev during a changing of the guard ceremony at the Ministry on Friday.

Demerdzhiev said that the main priorities of the Interior Ministry in the new Government are the fight against corruption, the restoration of justice, and the dismantling of the "Peevski–Borissov corruption model".

Commenting on whether acting Secretary General of the Interior Ministry, Georgi Kandev, will remain in the post, he said that his personal assessment of him is excellent, but the decision does not depend on him. According to the Minister, Kandev should stay in his position, but this depends on the Council of Ministers.

He also said that Ministry employees know him and know they can rely on his full support. "They also know that anyone with intentions of engaging in illegal practices must sever ties with the Ministry, otherwise the alternative is internal security,” he added.

Demerdzhiev thanked Dechev for the fair elections and for “cleansing” the Interior Ministry of "Peevski’s proteges". "We are aware of citizens’ expectations, consider them justified, and are ready to take responsibility," Demerdzhiev said.

Dechev said that the main priority of the caretaker government was to conduct fair elections. "We gave our best and achieved a good result. In a very short time, the leadership of the Interior Ministry managed to convince both employees and citizens that we want the police to work according to the law," he added.

Dechev noted that there were several hundred more reports of electoral violations compared to the elections in October 2024. According to him, this is due to the restored trust of citizens that the Interior Ministry wants to ensure fair elections. He thanked citizens for reporting electoral violations, Interior Ministry staff for their work, the Ministry leadership, as well as his colleagues in the caretaker government for their support.

/DD/