Bulgaria's parliament has formally recognized the caretaker government that will run the EU member state until parliamentary elections on June 9 and regular European Parliament elections.
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria's parliament on Tuesday formally recognized the interim government that will run the EU member state until June 9 parliamentary elections and regular European Parliament elections.
Dimitar Grafchev, 60, was sworn in as interim prime minister at a ceremony in parliament, and other ministers also took the oath of office. He was chosen by Bulgarian President Rumen Radev under recent constitutional reforms that limit selection to a small number of senior state officials.
State Comptroller General Grafchev, a former member of the center-right GERB party and speaker of parliament, said the ministers he had chosen for the caretaker cabinet were “equally distanced from all political parties.”
The move comes after the two major reformist political groups, led by GERB and We Continue the Change, failed to find common ground to continue their fragile coalition after nine months in office. . The collapse of the coalition government in March helped pave the way for the sixth snap parliamentary election since April 2021, deepening the political crisis and expected to postpone major reforms.
Differences between the two former coalition partners continued over some of the cabinet members of the transitional government. Reformists complain that the opposition is in control of the new cabinet and could use their position to win unfair elections.
Reform leader Kirill Petkov said the selection of Interior Minister Karin Stoyanov in the caretaker government was “outrageous, offensive and a poor attempt to hide the various dependencies of this cabinet.”
Civil society groups allege that Stoyanov was involved in vote-buying in the last local elections.
Post-communist Bulgarian elections have generally been free and democratic, although issues such as vote buying and corporate voting have been part of past election cycles.
Grafchev's main task is to organize fair elections in the corruption-ridden Balkan country of 6.5 million people, which has the highest income inequality in the 27-nation European Union.
Analysts say an early general election in June will likely lead to another split in parliament, further heightening political instability, and a lack of access to the EU's visa-free Schengen area and full entry into the eurozone, as well as billions within the EU. We predict that this will dash any hopes of securing euro release. Reconstruction funds.
Opinion polls suggest the vote could increase the profile of nationalist and pro-Russian parties that are exploiting unrest in Bulgaria and profiting from disinformation from Moscow, which is creating deep rifts in society. There is sex.
