On the third day of consultations for the appointment of a Bulgarian interim prime minister, President Iliana Yotova continued meetings with potential candidates. So far, the post has been declined by Parliament Speaker Raya Nazaryan, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev, and deputy governors Petar Chobanov and Radoslav Milenkov. The only affirmative response came from third deputy governor of the BNB, Andrey Gyurov.
Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva, the first to attend the consultations on Thursday, explained her refusal:
“The Ombudsman’s office has no place in the executive branch. This has been confirmed in recent months since my election, as the number of complaints has tripled during this period. It is crucial for citizens to have an active defender of their rights. The Ombudsman must remain independent from other institutions – I cannot serve as interim prime minister and then continue to protect citizens’ individual problems.”
After Delcheva, Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova also met with the president.
In total, there are ten officials eligible to assume the interim prime minister role. On January 30, Yotova is scheduled to meet with the Chair and Deputy Chairs of the Audit Office – Dimitar Glavchev, Margarita Nikolova, and Silvia Kadreva.
The signing of the decree appointing a temporary government will also determine the date for early parliamentary elections, which must be held within two months from the start of the interim administration.