The Constitution does not provide for specific deadlines for the consultations and appointment of a caretaker government, and the pace of the procedure depends entirely on the president. This was stated on Nova TV by constitutional law lecturer Assoc. Prof. Hristo Ormandzhiev, quoted by novini.bg.
According to him, the head of state has the freedom to decide whether the consultations with the parliamentary forces will be held separately or at a joint meeting. This is followed by talks with the potential candidates for prime minister from the so-called "home book". And there are no fixed deadlines for these stages in the basic law.
"There is no deadline for either handing over a mandate or returning it. The caretaker government is inherently in crisis, as the parliament has failed to elect a regular cabinet", Assoc. Prof. Ormandzhiev pointed out.
He added that consultations are mandatory, even if the choice of possible caretaker prime ministers is limited, and in his opinion it is ethical to also hold meetings with the candidates.
Regarding the date for early elections, Assoc. Prof. Ormandzhiev said that it is difficult to make a definitive prediction, but rather the earliest possible date would be after Easter, with April 19 seeming more likely. According to him, it is unlikely that the vote will be held during major Christian holidays.
Commenting on the document signed by the outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov on Bulgaria's accession to the Peace Council for US President Donald Trump, Assoc. Prof. Ormandzhiev stressed that he is extremely cautious in asserting whether there is a contradiction with the Constitution, since this is within the powers of the Constitutional Court. However, he pointed out that according to the position of lecturers from the Department of International Law at Sofia University, there may be discrepancies with the principles of the European Union and the UN Charter.
"International organizations are generally governed by collective bodies, not by a single figure, which raises questions", he explained.
Regarding the procedure for signing the document, Assoc. Prof. Ormandzhiev stated that the decision was made at a closed session of the Council of Ministers and although communication on the subject was insufficient, he does not believe that Bulgarian law has been violated.