By Talha Ozturk
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Monday rejected the draft Cabinet submitted by interim Prime Minister candidate Goritsa Nikolova Grancharova-Kozhareva, who was set to serve until early elections.
Grancharova-Kozhareva presented her proposed Cabinet list for Radev's approval at a ceremony held at the presidency. However, Radev opposed the inclusion of Interior Minister Kalin Stojanov, citing concerns that Stojanov’s appointment could lead to political unrest.
Grancharova-Kozhareva stated that she would not alter the Cabinet list, leading Radev to reject the draft. “I cannot approve your draft Cabinet. Early general elections will be postponed. The new interim government you propose will not be sworn in tomorrow in parliament. Early elections will also be rescheduled to a date after October 20. The government of Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev will continue its duties,” Radev said.
Bulgaria was slated to hold early general elections on October 20, marking its seventh snap election in a row due to prolonged political instability. Following these developments, Radev will need to appoint a new interim prime minister to lead election preparations.
According to the Bulgarian constitution, interim prime ministerial candidates may be nominated from among the Speaker of Parliament, the Court of Accounts, the Central Bank, the ombudsman, and his deputies.
The prolonged process of forming a new interim government has pushed the anticipated general elections to November. The turnout for the last early general election was reported at 34%, with expectations that this rate may decline further in the upcoming vote.