Political Reactions After the Replacement of District Governors

Twenty-four hours after the caretaker government dismissed all 28 district governors and appointed new ones in their place, political reactions quickly followed. GERB and the Bulgarian Sociliast Parry (BSP) issued sharp criticism of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, while Yes, Bulgaria defended him.

The leader of There Is Such a People, Slavi Trifonov, wrote on Facebook that the caretaker government belongs to We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and that caretaker Prime Minister, Andrey Gyurov, replaced all district governors with figures from the alliance.

Toma Bikov of GERB: “All 28 out of 28 district governors are direct functionaries of We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria. Nearly half of them are district leaders of Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria, while the rest have in one way or another been parliamentary candidates or participants in elections. In this sense, we claim this approach does not guarantee fair elections and, at the very least, does not ensure the impartiality of this government.”

BSP also criticised the replacement of district governors and expressed outrage over one particular appointment.

Ivan Takov, deputy chair of Bulgarian Socialist Party, said:

“For us, the appointment of the Sofia district governor, Vyara Todeva, is worrying and, in my view, a clear provocation. She has already served once as distirct governor and, as many will remember, used an angle grinder to cut the Monument to the Soviet Army.”

"Yes, Bulgaria" rejected the accusations, arguing that any new government has the right to changes.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria!:

“Replacing district governors linked to GERB and the Movement for Rigths and Freedoms (MRF), who were removed following protests and whose continued presence raises doubts about fair elections, is the most logical step.
It is impossible to hold fair elections with Chief Prosecutor Sarafov in place and with district governors representing those who have irreversibly lost the trust of Bulgarian public. In this sense, replacing district governors is not only normal practice, but is an absolutel must.”

GERB also criticised the ongoing reshuffles within the Interior Ministry of Interior and recalled previous personnel appointments made by We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria.

Toma Bikov of GERB said:

“They are now demanding the replacement of the Chief Secretary and Deputy Chief Secretary of the Interior Ministry? The last Chief Secretary appointed by these people was Zhivko Kotsev. You know how that ended — photo of a poodle playing around with bundles of cash. We hope that if this new Chief Secretary is appointed, he will not have the same approach.”

Yes, Bulgaria!, representatives warned that the newly launched prosecutorial inquiry into the caretaker Minister of Interior was not coincidental.

Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of the party, said:

“Surprisingly, today the Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into the Minister of the Interior. Clearly, Delyan Peevski (MRF-New Beginning chair) is very concerned — concerned that power is slipping away from him and that he is losing his influence within the judiciary. That is why he has reportedly begun summoning key figures from the Supreme Judicial Council and other members of the judicial system to the Berlin Hotel — to reprimand them and demand specific actions.”

Meanwhile, Bulgarian Socialist Party called for the immediate replacement of the Chief Prosecutor.

Krum Zarkov, the party’s chair, said:

“He is not merely illegitimate — he is unlawful. It is high time that the institutions responsible, first and foremost the Supreme Judicial Council, acknowledge this obvious fact and take the necessary steps.”

A meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council is scheduled for Thursday.