site.btaUPDATED Vice President Iotova: Caretaker PM-designate Grancharova-Kozhareva Will Surely Present Cabinet

"I believe that Grancharova-Kozhareva will present a cabinet. Up to this point, at least, she has not said that she will not have a cabinet, and any other statement, writing or suggestion is misinformation to me," Vice President Iliana Iotova told journalists on Saturday in Petrova Niva near Malko Tarnovo, Southwestern Bulgaria. 

"You remember that when the President handed over the mandate to form a second caretaker government, he said that she should rely primarily on herself and not give in to influence, to pressure. So far, she has not shown anything of the like," Iotova said. 

Asked what would happen if Grancharova-Kozhareva returned an unfulfilled mandate after all, Iotova said the President would most likely have to turn to the "house book" again and see who was available and who would want to.

"But this is all a consequence of the so-called amendments to the Constitution, which the more time passes, the fewer people are willing to admit they had anything to do with those amendments. But they have stirred up a really big crisis in the country. The President is trying, according to these texts and according to his powers, to ensure maximum stability. Let us hope that Mrs Kozhareva fulfils this mandate and that she selects people who have the maximum degree of trust from Bulgarian society so that fair elections can be held. We need this stability in the country and I sincerely wish her success," Iotova added. 

Asked how the Head of State Rumen Radev justified signing the decree, which promulgated the amendments to the School and Pre-school Education Act, she said: "This question can be addressed to the President. I can give my opinion - I listened very carefully to the discussion that took place in the National Assembly. Everything is good, I just did not understand one thing - how exactly this Act will be implemented in practice. I do not see a discriminatory point in this amendment to the School and Pre-School Education Act."

"We definitely can't talk about taking away rights in this case. And it is high time in Bulgaria not to look at things only in black and white," the Vice President added. 

Iotova attended a national commemorative gathering in the Petrova Niva locality dedicated to the 121st anniversary of the Ilinden-Preobrazhensky Uprising.