President Iotova Approved the Cabinet Line-Up Proposed by Caretaker Prime Minister-Designate Andrey Gurov

A week after receiving the mandate, Andrey Gyurov presented to President Iliiana Iotova the ministers he had invited to join the caretaker government. She agreed that it had not been an easy task.

Iliiana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria:
“Especially since a few days ago you stated that you were assuming full responsibility for this. The expectations of Bulgarian citizens are very high. You will not have a grace period of 100 days; indeed, it seems to me you will not even have 100 minutes. The most important task is to prepare parliamentary elections that are fair and conducted in accordance with the country’s laws.”

President Iliiana Iotova again stressed that the Minister of Interior must wage a determined fight against abuses both before and during the elections.

Iliiana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria:
“At the same time, together with the Central Election Commission, you must create conditions so that the organisation of the elections does not overshadow or drown out the election campaign of the political parties. As Bulgarian citizens, we want to know their ideas and their proposals in order to make an informed choice.”

She also stressed that she expected fair and principled co-operation with the other institutions, and that work on the “Petrohan” case should continue without political bias.

Iliiana Iotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria:
“This is a major stake — far greater than a caretaker government, than elections, or than parliamentary majorities — because it concerns Bulgaria itself. To a large extent, it will depend on your actions whether we can take the first steps — sufficiently firm, clear and serious — to restore Bulgarians’ trust in the entire security system. I know it will be very difficult, but it is not impossible.”

The President expects the caretaker government to address risks related to the energy system, prices and incomes, and to continue work on securing European funding. In her view, the country must maintain firm national positions to defend before its partners. Speaking to the media, Andrey Gyurov explained how he had selected the ministers.

Andrey Gyurov, Caretaker PM-Designate:
Bulgarian National Television: “Was there any political pressure in forming the caretaker government?”
– “I conducted the talks independently and I take full responsibility for all the ministers in this cabinet.”

His desire for reform of the judicial system was the reason he chose Andrey Yankulov as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.

Andrey Gyurov, Caretaker PM-Designate:
“We are sending a clear signal about the importance of the judicial system and the reforms within it. Mr Yankulov, the man who led the investigation into the ‘Eight Dwarfs’ case, has both the moral and the legal grounds to seek the dismissal of the Chief Prosecutor’s office. We are relying on him to carry out this task.”

According to Andrey Gyurov, the link between violations identified during elections and the punishment of those responsible tends to break down. The aim is for the proposed Minister of Interior, Emil Dechev — a criminal court judge — to normalise this process.

Andrey Gyurov, Caretaker PM-Designate:

“Emil Dechev is a criminal court judge. What we have seen in previous elections — including in the ruling of the Constitutional Court of Bulgaria — is that at some point the link breaks between the Ministry of Interior identifying violations during the electoral process and then seeing criminal convictions follow. We expect Mr Dechev to connect these two elements and ensure that people know responsibility is borne for any violations committed during elections.

At the same time, it was very important for the Interior Minister to be someone not affiliated with any particular political party and who cannot be accused of running a political campaign or of using his actions to support a specific political project.”

For the first time there will be a Deputy Prime Minister tasked specifically with overseeing the integrity of the vote. This, Gyurov explained, is a sign that reliance is also being placed on the activity of civil society.

Andrey Gyurov, Caretaker PM-Designate:
“This means we believe that, for these elections to be fair and to ensure calm, it is very important not only what decisive measures the Ministry of Interior takes, but also the engagement and participation of citizens. Stoycho Tsitselkov is someone who has long been part of the civic council to the Central Election Commission; in this role he will provide that link. He knows the electoral process in detail and will help ensure fair elections.”

Some of the ministers are figures closely linked to political parties; Gyurov insisted he had selected them solely on the basis of their expertise and the assessments of people in their respective fields. Regarding the President’s recommendation on the “Petrohan” case, he said:

Andrey Gyurov, Caretaker PM-Designate:
“We believe there must be full transparency and that professionals should be left to do their job.”

President Iotova announced that she will issue decrees appointing the caretaker government and setting 19 April as the date for the snap elections.