Bulgarian President-Elect Takes Ex Ministry Team to New Office

Bulgaria's President-elect, and former Regional Minister, Rosen Plevneliev, celebrates his victory Sunday night. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's President-elect, Rosen Plevneliev, announced he would take to the presidential office some key players from his ministerial cabinet.

Pevneliev, the candidate of the ruling Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria party (GERB), and former Regional Minister in the GERB cabinet, won the Sunday presidential runoff with 52.5% of the votes.

Deputy Regional Minister, Maria Zaharieva, until now in charge of urban planning, concessions, State property, companies and State enterprises, and housing policy, will be part of Plevneliev's team after he takes office as President.

The President-elect is also taking with him his PR, Maria Ivanova, whom he calls "his right hand," and the Regional Ministry's Parliamentary Secretary, Pavel Atanasov.

"The team is needed for everything we want to do while in office. We want young and competent people; we want to eliminate all dependencies from the presidential institution. We were elected by Bulgarian people and they must know what we do there," Plevneliev told the Bulgarian National Television, BNT, on Monday, the day after the presidential elections runoff.

When asked to comment on the wide-spread opinion that as President, he would simply be a puppet of Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, the former Regional Minister replied he had always and only been himself and would remain such.

He accused the leader of the opposition, left-wing Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Sergey Stanishev, of making such insinuations to the public.

Plevneliev's top rival – the BSP candidate, Ivaylo Kalfin, ended second with 47.5% of the votes.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!