President Iliana Yotova must show style and class when forming the caretaker cabinet. This was stated to "This Morning" on bTV by the former Speaker of the National Assembly, Assoc. Prof. Natalia Kiselova.
"When the elections will be held depends on President Yotova, and of course, this will be determined by how quickly a caretaker government will be formed. The procedure is much more cumbersome."
President Iliana Yotova begins meetings with potential candidates for caretaker prime minister, provided for in the so-called. „home book“. The first meeting is today with the Speaker of the National Assembly Raya Nazaryan.
According to the former Speaker of the Parliament and MP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party Natalia Kiselova, it is entirely possible that a caretaker government will be formed this week, after all consultations have been held in accordance with the constitutional order.
The date of the early parliamentary elections - whether March 29 or April 19 - will depend on the pace at which the caretaker government will be formed. Kiselova emphasized that the Constitution does not provide deadlines for holding meetings with potential caretaker prime ministers, and the procedure after the changes from the end of 2023 is slower.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party does not give recommendations for a specific date. “This is entirely within the powers of the president. "It is not correct to give advice from outside at the moment," said Kiselova, expressing confidence that Yotova will approach the formation of the caretaker cabinet "with style and class."
Regarding the preliminary refusals, including the one announced by Raya Nazaryan, Kiselova said that it is not right for persons who participated in the preparation and voting on the constitutional amendments to refuse "with a light hand."
"This is part of the job description," she emphasized, specifying that in her opinion, the Speaker of the National Assembly, if appointed caretaker Prime Minister, should not participate in the parliamentary elections.
The BSP is not naming a specific favorite. According to Kiselova, the choice will be narrowed down "by the method of exclusion." She excluded the speaker of parliament due to his stated intention to run for MP, as well as the governor and deputy governors of the Bulgarian National Bank, since their election would lead to resignation and early termination of their mandate.
In her opinion, more suitable figures are those who, upon completion of the caretaker government's work, can return to their previous positions, such as the chairman and deputy chairmen of the Court of Accounts.
Kiselova described the talks about a future political project by President Rumen Radev as “speculative“. According to her, until there are clearly stated intentions, a team and a program, the comments remain in the realm of conjecture.
She was categorical that “the left is not dead“ and warned of the danger of hate speech and radicalization in politics. According to her, the BSP must clearly defend the parliamentary form of government as having no alternative.
When asked whether she would be a candidate for MP, Kiselova said that the decision would be made after the BSP Congress on February 7-8. Whether the party should face the elections with a new leadership is yet to be discussed within the party.