Bulgarian president appoints Kozhareva as caretaker premier

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Friday designated Vice President of the National Audit Office Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva as interim prime minister, according to local media.

Bulgaria has been dealing with a government formation crisis since snap elections on June 6, when the two largest majority parties in parliament failed to receive a confidence vote from lawmakers, and the third one refused President Radev's offer to form a government.

The new government will remain in charge until the country's next government is formed.

Radev said Oct. 20 is the best date to hold snap elections, state-run BTA news agency reported.

Radev said Kozhareva's extensive experience in public administration made her the most suitable candidate for the interim premiership and urged her to form her Cabinet by Aug. 19, the news agency reported.

The president also thanked the incumbent caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev for his efforts and, above all, for taking responsibility during a difficult time when no political party in parliament formed a government.

The president appointed Kozhareva four days after There Is Such a People (TISP) returned the third mandate on Monday to form a government, which they received the last week of July.

This was the third unsuccessful attempt to form a regular government, following the failure of the two largest parliamentary groups, GERB-UDF and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, to form governments with the first and second mandates.

According to the country's Constitution, the president has the authority to appoint a caretaker government and schedule new elections within two months after consulting with parliamentary groups and proposing a candidate for caretaker prime minister.

The upcoming snap elections will be the sixth since the regular parliamentary elections in April 2021.

The last snap elections were held on June 9.