Caretaker government took office (update)

The caretaker government, appointed by President Rumen Radev, took office on August 2, 2022. The ministers were sworn in at an official ceremony at the Presidency.

The 100th government of Bulgaria is a caretaker government and its life is limited by the Constitution. The President described a heavy legacy for the caretaker cabinet - the third he has formed in a year and three months.

President Rumen Radev presented the caretaker government and noted that it takes office at a difficult time for the country.

"Public fatigue from acute political opposition, swirling inflation and impoverishment, unaffordable fuel and energy prices, lack of gas for the winter and a heavily indebted public supplier, regulatory blockage and a crumbling road network, growing protests by various sectoral organisations, lack of prepared laws for the Recovery and Resilience Plan, stalled justice reform and important activities for our full integration into the EU," President Rumen Radev said.

According to him, the main challenge is related to security. He reminded that war is raging near us and tensions in the Balkans are rising again. He believes that the risk of the war encompassing new territories is real.

"Your first priority must be to prevent Bulgaria from being drawn into the conflict. Prevent the risks to national security, accelerate the work on the modernization of our Armed Forces and increase their interoperability with the allies of the Alliance," Rumen Radev added.

The global energy crisis is a direct consequence of the war, the President noted. It risks are that may inevitably exacerbate social tensions with the potential for new political and governance crises in the months ahead.

"The caretaker cabinet and subsequent governments must be guided in their actions by two priorities: security of supply and the price of energy. The interests of the ordinary consumer and the Bulgarian economy must be at the centre of your activities. Citizens expect rational decisions from the executive," the Head of State added.

Rumen Radev pointed out that the food crisis, a result of the war, comes with a gradual increase in prices.

"It is an important priority for you to ensure predictability and a clear horizon for farmers, food security for the state and the containment of price growth," Rumen Radev said.

In the President's words, the public expects the whole truth about the Hemus motorway, the repairs of the dams, as well as urgent actions for safe traffic on the roads. He pointed to the development of the missing laws under the Recovery Plan, Bulgaria's bid for Schengen membership as important tasks.

And the main task of any caretaker cabinet - organising the elections. Managing the country in a crisis situation requires competence, experience, responsibility, self-control and dialogue, the President said and explained that this is exactly why he chose Galab Donev as caretaker Prime Minister. He thanked all the ministers for their courage to take office in this difficult moment for everyone.

"I believe that you will receive support in difficult moments from the Bulgarian society, which wants to see a government guided not by narrow party accounts but united around the public interest," Rumen Radev added.

He reminded that the two caretaker governments of last year have proved that it is possible to unite politicians with different political convictions in the name of Bulgaria.

"This model was not continued by the subsequent regular government and this is one of the reasons for failures in foreign and domestic policy in terms of defending the national interest, sovereignty and welfare of Bulgaria," Rumen Radev said.

President Radev called on the public to vote wisely in the autumn in order to elect a sustainable and responsible majority.

"I believe that national unity is the choice that politicians and citizens should reflect on and make and that we should follow steadfastly in these difficult times for Europe and Bulgaria," Rumen Radev added.

In his first official statement as caretaker Prime Minister, Galab Donev thanked the President for the trust to govern the country in times of crises, and said:

"I do not lose my balance from the high. And I am not looking for the 'loophole' of the law," said Galab Donev, caretaker PM.

He stressed that their 100th government will not have 100 days, but expects 100 per cent work on important issues from his colleagues.

"The caretaker government is not a B team in running the country. And this is not some marketing ploy of mine. This is what the basic law says," said Donev.

He urged his colleagues to follow the words in their oath of office that they would observe the Constitution and the laws of the country and be guided by the interests of the people in all their actions.