Bulgaria: Talks on resolving caretaker government issue fruitless

Sofia: Talks among some of Bulgaria’s political groups on August 20 to resolve the issue of vacancies in posts eligible to serve as caretaker Prime Minister appear to have come to nothing.

The talks followed the August 19 refusal by President Roumen Radev to decree a proposed caretaker government that included controversial figure Kalin Stoyanov – seen as close to Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) co-leader Delyan Peevski – continuing in the post of Interior Minister.

Radev did not believe that Stoyanov could play the role required for the portfolio in ensuring fair elections.

The decision by Radev leaves uncertainty about when a new caretaker government will be appointed, and about the date for Bulgaria’s next early parliamentary elections.

As amended in 2023, Bulgaria’s constitution gives the head of state a limited choice of office-bearers from which to choose a caretaker Prime Minister. Currently, some of the posts are vacant.

We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB) held a meeting in the National Assembly building on August 20 to try to co-ordinate steps in Parliament to fill these vacancies.

WCC-DB wants the National Assembly to fill the vacant posts of deputy head of the Audit Office and of Ombudsman, to give Radev to name one of these office-bearers as caretaker PM.

WCC-DB invited all other groups with the exception of the one around Peevski to these talks, but it was not immediately clear which groups took up the invitation.

Earlier on Tuesday, talks were held under the auspices of Parliament’s presiding officers council. No representative of pro-Kremlin party Vuzrazhdane attended, while the WCC-DB representatives walked out when Peevski appeared.

On August 20, GERB-UDF leader Boiko Borissov broke a 24-hour silence on the Stoyanov issue, reversing his many months of backing Stoyanov to say that the caretaker Interior Minister should not hold that post.

Previously, WCC-DB long has wanted Stoyanov out, given the coalition’s distrust of him, as has Vuzrazhdane, which like WCC-DB sees Stoyanov as controlled by Peevski.

Borissov, who some time ago said that the early 2024 talks on a government failed over demands to oust Stoyanov from the Interior Minister post, said that GERB was “firmly demanding” that Stoyanov be axed.

Borissov described Stoyanov’s actions, including raising a clenched fist outside the Presidency building on August 19, were unacceptable.

The GERB-UDF leader said that caretaker PM-designate Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva had been “hasty” in refusing Radev’s request to present an alternative candidate interim Interior Minister.

“The state cannot become a hostage of the interior minister, whoever he is,” Borissov said.

He said that attempts to come up with an Ombudsman who could in turn then become caretaker PM were “the height of no principles”.

Peevski, speaking to reporters on August 20, continued his backing for Stoyanov and said that Radev had “trampled on the constitution” by refusing to decree the caretaker government.

Peevski again referred to Radev as “Mr Cash” though the MRF co-leader has not offered any evidence of wrongdoing on Radev’s part.

According to Delyan Peevski, Kalin Stoyanov does his job “extremely professionally”.

“The last early elections were conducted very well. All international organizations that observed had no comment,” Peevski said.

“If Kalin Stoyanov is falsely accused by these people of being my man – if Mr. Cash Radev and other politicians make fun of a decent policeman, if Kalin Stoyanov is fired in the most unfair way because of the lies and fabrications of the cash gang, personally I will invite him to be the leader of my party list.”

“I have a purely professional relationship with him. I see that this person enjoys the trust of the Bulgarian policemen,” Peevski said, referring to “spontaneous” protests in support of Stoyanov in recent days.