President Iliana Yotova assigned Andrey Gyurov within one week to propose the composition of a caretaker government. The two met today at "Dondukov", after yesterday the head of state nominated the deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank as a candidate for caretaker prime minister.
Andrey Gyurov will be expected to present a list of ministers to be appointed so that the caretaker government can function.
„Expectations are extremely high - we expect you to protect our every vote.
We expect the elections to be fair and transparent and to be held in accordance with the laws in Bulgaria, in order to guarantee a stable, legal and stable state. You will work with a permanent National Assembly, with which you will have to cooperate. The successful solution of all problems will depend on shared political responsibility. I expect you to present a government composition within a week,” the president emphasized.
In turn, Andrey Gyurov accepted the folder with readiness to fill it with content. “The situation is not normal, but you give me your trust, and I accept it, despite the limited choice for an acting prime minister. I will approach it with responsibility and reason, my task is to have fair elections and for people to see the point in voting, as well as to work without creating hysteria. People must first trust the individuals who represent the institutions. In the coming days, I will assemble a team in which everyone will find their image, these will be people with expertise, decency and experience, they will not present themselves with their political positions. These will be individuals who will not act mercilessly, nor will they impose themselves with aggression, but will instill calm. We are waiting for an opportunity to prove ourselves with work”, replied Gyurov.
Andrei Gyurov was one of the five candidates from the so-called “Home Book“ who, after meetings with President Yotova, agreed to become acting prime ministers. “I shared with President Yotova that I am ready to take on the responsibility of acting prime minister, if this happens under clear principles and without hidden conditions. This means Bulgaria–Europe, and fair elections are held there”, he said after his meeting with the head of state, which took place on January 28. According to him, we can have fair elections when a caretaker government does not interfere in the political arena and is neutral.
Who is Andrey Gyurov?
Gyurov is a deputy governor, head of the "Issue" department, and a member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank, elected by the 49th National Assembly on July 26, 2023 for a six-year term.
He entered politics in 2021 with the newly established party "We Continue the Change" by Assen Vassilev and Kiril Petkov. Gyurov was elected as a deputy in three parliaments - the 47th, 48th, and 49th National Assembly. He is the chairman of the party's parliamentary group in the 47th and 48th National Assembly.
Before entering politics, he taught Corporate Finance, Risk Management, Company Valuation, and Investment Management at the Faculty of Business Administration of the American University in Blagoevgrad.
The case of Gyurov's incompatibility
On June 27, 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission established incompatibility with regard to Andrey Gyurov and he went on unpaid leave. According to the Commission, Gyurov is incompatible with the position he holds, as he was obliged under the ECB and BNB Laws to declare his participation in bodies engaged in commercial activities, and he did not do so in the declaration he submitted to the BNB.
The Administrative Court overturned the decision of the KPKONPI, by which Gyurov was removed.
„A case is pending before the EU court and there, at the hearing, I received support from the ECB and the EC. In this sense, I have no moral problems accepting the post of acting prime minister. President Yotova and the legal team in the presidency will make a decision“, Gyurov commented on January 28.
The reaction of politicians
The acting cabinet will be of PP-DB and Iliyana Yotova. This was stated by the deputy chairwoman of the GERB-SDF parliamentary group Denitsa Sacheva. “Obviously, consultations have yielded results. We have the choice desired by the PP-DB parliamentary group.
However, the cabinet will be entirely within the prerogatives of Ms. Yotova. If there was a limited choice for an acting prime minister, then the composition of the acting cabinet is entirely within the powers of the president“, she added.“
The leader of “We continue the change“ Assen Vassilev stated that the acting cabinet belongs to Bulgaria, there is no way they can make proposals for ministers. “My personal opinion, and that of the PP, is that the fairest elections we have had were under the leadership of Mr. Rashkov“, he added.“
Andrei Gyurov is closely connected to a political force, reminded the deputy chairwoman of the PG of “DPS-New Beginning“ Iskra Mihaylova-Koparova. She the caretaker prime minister should be as far away from the political forces as possible. “Mrs. President of Bulgaria made a decision and nominated Gyurov as caretaker prime minister. Andrei Gyurov is closely connected to a political force. He was the chairwoman of the PG of PP-DB“, she said.
The chairwoman of the PG of “BSP-United Left” Natalia Kiselova expects Gyurov to present a competent and independent composition of the Council of Ministers. “We all saw that Ms. Yotova held serious consultations, not all parliamentary groups took it seriously. From now on, we expect the designated caretaker Prime Minister to present a competent and independent composition of the Council of Ministers in order to fulfill the main function, namely fair elections,“ said Kiselova and added that “based on the draft composition of the government and then on its actions, we will be able to say whether they have coped with the task“,
The chairman of the PG of “Ima takvi narod“ (ITN) Toshko Yordanov said that Yotova chose to support the “coalition of charlatans“. The term “coalition of charlatans“ and “charlatans“ was introduced by President Rumen Radev, and Yotova was his vice president, Yordanov recalled.
And according to former President Rumen Radev, who left “Dondukov“ in January 2, to create her own political project, Yotova has made the optimal choice for an acting prime minister.