Bulgaria's President Met with WCC-DB: Caretaker Government Must Ensure Fair Elections

President Iliana Yotova held a meeting with representatives of the parliamentary group “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” (WCC-DB) as part of the consultations for appointing a caretaker prime minister. On the WCC-DB side, participants included Nikolai Denkov, Nadezhda Yordanova, Asen Vassilev, Ivaylo Mirchev, Bozhidar Bozanov, and Atanas Atanasov.

Opening the discussion, Yotova emphasized the critical importance of the current period for Bulgaria, underlining the need to unite efforts to ensure national security and political stability. She stressed that the priorities of Bulgarian citizens must be met, including the demand for fair and transparent elections, well-organized voting processes, and the restoration of trust in state institutions and the electoral system.

Regarding legislative developments, Yotova noted that minimal amendments to the Electoral Code are under consideration and that part of her discussion with WCC-DB would focus on measures to guarantee electoral integrity. She highlighted that following recent constitutional changes, the National Assembly continues to function, ensuring that political responsibility is shared between the parliament and the Council of Ministers. She stressed the importance of continuity between the outgoing government and the caretaker administration, noting that five candidates have so far agreed to take on the caretaker prime minister role. Yotova explained that her choice of a caretaker would consider both professional competence and the broader legitimacy of institutions.

Ivaylo Mirchev of WCC-DB underlined the need for concrete steps to ensure fair elections, warning against repeating the mistakes of the previous caretaker government, which, according to him, served the “Borissov-Peevski corruption model.” He emphasized that a minister of the interior must be appointed to prevent vote-buying, alongside a minister of justice to propose a new acting prosecutor general, and measures must be taken to prevent municipal funds from being used to influence voters. Bozhidar Bozanov stressed that the caretaker government should break from past practices and effectively “turn off the tap” of previous corruption models.

Asen Vassilev further highlighted the importance of meeting the criteria for the remaining funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, noting that 40 more laws need to be passed by the end of June. Yotova is also continuing consultations with other parliamentary groups, including GERB, as the process to appoint a caretaker prime minister moves forward.