Parliament Speaker Raya Nazaryan after Meeting with President Iliana Iotova: Caretaker PM Should Not Be a Political Figure

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Raya Nazaryan, has commented to the media following consultations with President Iliana Iotova on the appointment of a caretaker prime minister.

The meeting between President Iotova and Nazaryan on January 27 lasted for more than an hour and was held as part of the constitutional procedure for appointing a caretaker government. During the talks, Nazaryan confirmed that she is unable to take on the role of caretaker prime minister.

photos by Presidency of the Republic of Bulgaria

The two discussed possible options for forming a caretaker cabinet and appointing a caretaker prime minister who would guarantee the fairest possible conduct of the early parliamentary elections. Nazaryan noted that the date of the elections is likely to be postponed and will probably not be at the end of March, as initially expected, but could instead be moved to the end of April.

Raya Nazaryan, Speaker of the National Assembly, said:
“Any political figure, whoever they may be, any of the 240 MPs, including the Speaker of Parliament, belongs to a specific political formation, even if they do not take part in the next elections, because a caretaker prime minister cannot be registered as a candidate for MP. The sense of either impartiality or lack of impartiality would be very strong, and this would in some way undermine voters’ expectations for a transparent process.”

Photos: Desislava Kulelieva, BNT

In total, ten office-holders are eligible for the post of caretaker prime minister. The so-called “house book” includes the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Governor and Deputy Governors of the Bulgarian National Bank, the Chair of the National Audit Office and his two deputies, as well as the Ombudsman and the Deputy Ombudsman. Some of the potential candidates have already declined to take on the role.

Once President Iotova decides whom to mandate with forming a caretaker cabinet, the nominee will have one week to propose the composition of the government. At the same time as appointing the caretaker cabinet, the President must also set the date for the early parliamentary elections, which must be held within two months.