site.btaWrap-up: Parliament Votes in Office Denkov Cabinet

Parliament Tuesday voted to elect Nikolay Denkov as Bulgaria's Prime Minister. The vote in the 240-seat legislature was 132-69 with no abstentions. In two other votes, the MPs also approved the composition and structure of the Denkov government. The government then took the oath in office.

Denkov was designated as Prime Minister by a coalition of Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), which is the second largest group in Parliament.  

After nine months, Denkov will rotate with Mariya Gabriel of GERB-UDF, the largest party in the legislature. 

The Cabinet has one Deputy Prime Minister. The Agriculture Ministry is transformed into a Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

The vote on the government structure was 132-69 and on the lineup 131-69, with no abstentions for both. 

The composition was backed by GERB-UDF and CC-DB, and two MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). The other MRF deputies did not vote. One GERB deputy voted "against", as did Vazrazhdane, BSP for Bulgaria, There Is Such a People and independent Radostin Vasilev. The distribution of votes was similar for Denkov and the Cabinet structure.

In an address to the MPs before the vote, Denkov outlined the priorities of his cabinet: urgent submission to Parliament of a budget with a deficit of up to 3%, while maintaining social payments unchanged and without increasing taxes; implementation of the international priorities for Schengen and the eurozone to ensure entry in the Schengen area this year and in the eurozone from 2025 at the latest; close cooperation with the social partners for a balanced development of the economy and human resources with a focus on research, innovation and education; working in close cooperation with the National Assembly to implement the legislative agenda, including amendments to the Constitution.

“It was not my childhood dream to be the Prime Minister in a country in a bad political crisis, with a divided society. My childhood dream was to be a scientist and I fulfilled it. This is why, if the priorities are not accomplished, I will resign,” he said.

Here is the full Denkov Cabinet:

Prime Minister: Nikolay Denkov
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs: Mariya Gabriel
Minister of Finance: Assen Vassilev
Minister of Interior: Kalin Stoyanov
Minister of Defence: Todor Tagarev
Minister of Environment and Water: Julian Popov
Minister of Energy: Rumen Radev
Minister of Regional Development and Public Works: Andrey Tsekov
Minister of Agriculture and Food: Kiril Vatev
Minister of Economy and Industry: Bogdan Bogdanov
Minister of Innovation and Growth: Milena Stoycheva
Minister of Labour and Social Policy: Ivanka Shalapatova
Minister of Justice: Atanas Slavov
Minister of Health: Hristo Hinkov
Minister of Education and Science: Galin Tsokov
Minister of Tourism: Zaritsa Dinkova
Minister of Transport and Communications: Georgi Gvozdeykov
Minister of e-Government: Alexander Yolovski
Minister of Culture: Krastyu Krastev
Minister of Youth and Sports: Dimitar Iliev

Click here to see who's who in the new Bulgarian government.