What Is in Focus of Bulgaria's New Interim Government

This morning, President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev dissolved the acting caretaker government and presented the new one, which had to be formed after the 46th National Assembly failed to form a regular cabinet. There are three new faces in this latest caretaker government, led as its predecessor by Prime Minister Stefan Yanev. Daniela Vezieva is set to take the reins of the economy, Valeri Belchev is to steer finance, while Hristo Alexiev heads the Ministry of Transport.

The changes come as no surprise after days of speculations that two of the most popular ministers - of economy and of finance (Kiril Petkov and Asen Vasilev, respectively) - will likely create a new political project and run for parliament in two months. The president praised the work done by the previous cabinet. He said that its members should be satisfied with the months of shouldering the responsibility (of governing) as well as holding fair elections. He believes that the interim government stood up against the model of the captured state and set its systems of checks and balances into motion. He noted that in that period the country registered its first large-scale machine voting. Radev also underscored that the cabinet shed light on the grim legacy, the devastation and the lawlessness when it comes to infrastructure projects, got the energy crisis under control and the construction of a children's hospital out of an impasse.

"A record jump in incomes was registered. After 13 years of stagnation, pensions were updated, while the recovery and resilience plan was improved. I am glad that we were able to protect the last of the unspoiled beaches and the forests of Bulgaria. We stopped the import and use of toxic waste," Radev noted. "You proved that patriotic people from across the...