Radev appoints Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva as new caretaker PM
President Rumen Radev nominated Deputy Chairperson of the Court of Auditors Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva for caretaker Prime Minister after the surprise announcement of current caretaker PM Dimitar Glavchev (who is her superior in the audit office) that he is no longer prepared to accept the position for the second time "in order to reduce political tensions".
Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva was elected to her post during the second Borissov cabinet, and in January 2023 was appointed acting president by parliament after GERB, BSP and MRF swiftly replaced the then head of the chamber Tsvetan Tsvetkov. She is the wife of the former member of the Supreme Judicial Council from the prosecutor's collegium Mihail Kozharev.
The appointment of a new caretaker cabinet follows TISP's failure to form a regular cabinet with the third exploratory mandate, having returned it to President Radev on Monday. It is expected that Radev will declare mid-October as the date of the next election.
MPs swiftly adopt Euro Introduction Act
On Wednesday evening Parliament hurriedly approved the bill for the introduction of the euro on the second reading. The texts passed almost without debate, with the exception of several speeches by the anti-EU Vazrazhdane party, which reaffirmed its opposition to joining the eurozone.
The texts passed mainly with the votes of GERB, WCC-DB and the section of the MRF loyal to Delyan Peevski, with no changes compared to what was adopted in the budget committee last week, when several editorial amendments and clarifications were voted. Substantial changes were not expected as the bill was already coordinated with the European Central Bank and the European Commission. With the final adoption of the bill, Bulgaria can be considered having reached full regulatory compliance with the requirements to join the euro area and the only obstacle remains the meeting of the inflation criterion, which the government hopes to attain by the end of the year.
MPs bans "propaganda of non-traditional sexual orientation" in schools
In another rushed Wednesday vote, the majority in the National Assembly adopted in two readings the "propaganda, promotion or incitement" of ""non-traditional sexual orientation" and "determination of gender identity other than biological" in Bulgarian schools. The proposal, which had been backed unsuccessfully by Vazrazhdane in the previous parliament, was now passed by a large margin with the votes of the pro-Kremlin party, GERB, BSP, TISP and many independents.
The proposals were immediately attacked by LGBTQ activists, lawyers and NGOs for undermining basic freedoms. A protest rally was then staged in front of Parliament on Wednesday evening.
Mariya Gabriel applies for top NATO job
Former Bulgarian EU Commissioner and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel has apparently made a bid to become deputy General Secretary of NATO after Holland's Mark Rutte takes over as head of the treaty organization later this year. This was reported by several Bulgarian outlets but has not yet been officially verified. The position is currently held by Romanian politician Mircea Geoana, who is expected to run for head of state of his country in the upcoming elections this fall.
It appears that the position has not yet been fully agreed, as other media outlets (Dnevnik.bg) claim their own sources say Gabriel's appointment is unlikely, as her experience has little relevance to NATO's mission. According to Capital weekly, what potentially could work in her favor is that she is a woman from Eastern Europe. The newspaper's sources also claim she has gained the support of the US and the UK, and no one has opposed her candidacy.
Bulgaria rushes to buy anti-aircraft battery from Germany
Bulgaria has decided to purchase a German-made lRlS-T SLM anti-aircraft complex, manufactured by the German company Diehl Defense worth 182.1 million euro. The system is similar to the one currently used by the Ukrainian army to defend the country's cities from Russian drone and missile attacks.
The decision was pushed through the Defense Ministry, the government and the Parliament Defense committee in less than a month. According to unofficial information from mediapool.bg, the delivery of the system should happen in the 2027-2028 period and the contract would allow for the purchasing of four more similar anti-aircraft systems by 2032.
Radev appoints Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva as new caretaker PM
President Rumen Radev nominated Deputy Chairperson of the Court of Auditors Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva for caretaker Prime Minister after the surprise announcement of current caretaker PM Dimitar Glavchev (who is her superior in the audit office) that he is no longer prepared to accept the position for the second time "in order to reduce political tensions".
