New Cabinet Formally Took Over Power from Caretaker Government during Ceremony at Council of Ministers

Following the swearing-in ceremony in the Parliament, the caretaker and newly elected governments gathered at the Council of Ministers for the formal handover of power.

In a one-on-one meeting, Andrey Gyurov handed over reports from each ministry to the new Prime Minister, Rumen Radev.

Andrey Gyurov, caretaker Prime Minister: "We are not here by historical accident. People took to the streets because they refused to tolerate greed, arrogance and self-indulgence,” he said.

He urged the incoming government not to allow political decisions to be dictated informally and warned against ignoring the truth.

Radev, in turn, criticised the constitutional changes that led to the appointment of successive caretaker governments, saying they had placed Bulgaria in a political deadlock.

“You were called upon to carry out this mission as a result of the ill-fated amendments to the Constitution, which have driven Bulgaria into a dead end. I know it was not easy for you, and I appreciate the efforts of those who worked conscientiously,” he said.

Following the ceremony, Radеv responded to criticism that the ministers of agriculture and foreign affairs had links to “There Is Such a People”.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: “As far as I know, Mr Abrovski has not been a member of “There Is Such a People” for more than four years. He served as an adviser to Yavor Gechev when the latter was caretaker Minister of Agriculture. Mr Abrovski is a member of PB; you may verify this for yourselves. As for Ms Petrova, she has never been a member of “There Is Such a People”, nor part of its civic quota. Of course, these people have previously served as deputy ministers in government, and that is entirely normal. We cannot simply take people off the street who know nothing about public administration and state governance.”

The Prime Minister also defended the parliamentary group of Progressive Bulgaria, which abstained in the vote on establishing temporary parliamentary committees concerning Delyan Peevski and Ivo Prokopiev.

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: “Yes, we could waste and effectively kill two months of parliamentary time, but those two months — during which a battle would be fought between the Prokopiev and Peevski lobbying circles, because such committees are being proposed — are critically important to us.”

Radev was not definitive about the future of the Interior Ministry’s Chief Secretary, Georgi Kandev, but said there would be a new head of the State Agency for National Security (SANS).

Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: “We respect the principle of fixed terms of office and, at present, I believe the Chief Secretary is fully carrying out his duties. However, the efforts of the Interior Ministry are about to be redirected from ensuring fair elections and combating vote-buying towards tackling corruption and breaches of the law. There will be a new appointment; you know that Denyo Denev is currently acting chairman and deputy chair of SANS.”

Photos by BTA

Measures against high prices are among the new government’s top priorities. Legislative amendments are already being prepared to bring greater transparency to the pricing process.