site.btaDeputy PM Gabriel: Interior Minister’s Resignation Not on Agenda

The question of Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov's resignation is not on the agenda, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel told Bulgarian National TV Thursday. She was asked if she would advise Stoyanov to resign if it was up to her.  

"I think we have already passed this stage, this issue is not on the agenda at all," Gabriel said. "What has become clear is that Minister Stoyanov is a person who is guided in his actions by the need for independence of the Interior Ministry's decisions, that he is a person who upholds the principles of zero tolerance for violence and is a person who, as a result of the analysis and the facts in relation to people who have exceeded their powers, will make sure that they are held accountable," Gabriel added.

There were protests last Thursday in Sofia against the leadership of the Bulgarian Football Union, which turned violent and led to clashes mostly between football fans and police. There were videos and reports of police beating bystanders and journalists, which led to calls for Stoyanov's resignation. 

She said that she did not believe that there was tension in the Government over the demands for Minister Stoyanov's resignation, but that the situation has been clarified and the the police officers who may have overstepped their authority will be held accountable, while much gratitude is expressed to the large number of police officers who diligently doing their jobs. Mariya Gabriel noted that Stoyanov has an excellent track record on Schengen work and this is recognised by all partners - not only Austria and the Netherlands, but also in terms of work with Turkiye, Italy, Germany. 

“At this stage, what interests me is the compliance with the governance programme and the contribution of each minister in terms of the actions set out in it,” Gabriel said when asked whether she would make changes in the composition of the Cabinet after her rotation with the current Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov.