Deputy Ombudsman Signals Readiness to Serve as Caretaker Prime Minister, Says Decision Rests with President

The consultations with President Iliana Iotova for a caretaker prime minister continue. The Head of State met with Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova on January 29.

After the meeting, Filipova told reporters that she had expressed her willingness to take on the role if the President decided to nominate her.

“My answer to the President was: yes, if she decides,” Filipova said.

“I would like to remind you of the President’s first statement a few days ago, when she said that a procedure was beginning with all candidates listed under Paragraph 5 of Article 99, involving consultations with each of them. Such a consultation was held with me as well. The decision is the president’s. I said: yes, I will accept, yes, if she decides, to become caretaker prime minister of the Republic of Bulgaria.

“I am Maria Filipova, and I have been a civil servant for 15 years, working through various state institutions for the well-being of the people. At this point, the President has not made her decision. The other candidates are yet to be heard. Please wait for the decision of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria,” she added.

Earlier in the day, President Iotova met with the Ombudsman, Velislava Delcheva, who stated that the Ombudsman should remain independent from the executive and could not assume the role of caretaker prime minister.

The consultations come as part of the search for a caretaker prime minister. After yesterday’s talks, it became clear that the Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), Andrey Gyurov, is ready to serve as caretaker prime minister. Before that, the President had held talks with the BNB Governor, Dimitar Radev, and the other two Deputy Governors, Radoslav Milenkov and Petar Chobanov, who declined to take the position, citing various reasons.

On Tuesday, the Speaker of Parliament, Raya Nazaryan, also refused to take the role of caretaker Prime Minister.

The final round of consultations at the Presidency on Dondukov 2 is scheduled for tomorrow, when the President will meet with the President and Deputy President of the National Audit Office.

The date of the early parliamentary elections will depend on when the decree appointing the caretaker government is signed. Under the Constitution, the elections must be held within two months after signing of the decree.

Based on the 2023–2024 amendments to the Constitution of Bulgaria, the President must select a caretaker Prime Minister from a specific list of senior officials, often referred to as the "house book" or "limited list". As of early 2026, this list of potential candidates includes:

Speaker of the National Assembly: Raya Nazaryan
Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB): Dimitar Radev.
Deputy Governors of the BNB: Petar Chobanov, Andrey Gurov, Radoslav Milenkov.
President of the National Audit Office: Dimitar Glavchev.
Deputy Presidents of the National Audit Office: Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva , Margarita Nikolova, Silvia Kadreva.
Ombudsman: Velislava Delcheva
Deputy Ombudsman: Maria Filipova