site.btaUPDATED Socialists: Glavchev Not Right Candidate for Caretaker PM

"Regarding Dimitar Glavchev, our position has not changed at all. Our categorical opinion is that he must not be prime minister," Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) acting Chair Atanas Zafirov told the media here on Thursday.

"His refusal to say categorically whether Kalin Stoyanov will stay on as interior minister confirms our finding that Mr Glavchev is unable to provide guarantees of his impartiality," Zafirov commented further.

"We continue to believe that he is not the right candidate but, at the same time, we reckon with the restrictions imposed by the Constitution," the BSP leader added.

He explained that at a just ended meeting, the BSP Executive Bureau had confirmed the party leadership's support for the actions of President Radev and the demand for Stoyanov's resignation and the categorical view that he cannot be a caretaker interior minister.

"We reaffirm our stand that this parliament is completely played out, which is why it cannot possibly pass such important personnel resolutions concerning the future of such institutions as the ombudsman and the Bulgarian National Audit Office. We are not involved in such talks," Zafirov said.

He called on all parties "which are to blame for this grave political crisis that is escalating into a constitutional crisis on the basis of the inept constitutional amendments" to apologize to Bulgarian society and declare their readiness to support the BSP in its intention to move for amendments to the Constitution in the next parliament which would reinstate the previous provisions about the way in which caretaker cabinets are appointed and remove the pool of potential caretaker PM appointees from Bulgarian politics.

BSP for Bulgaria Floor Leader Borislav Gutsanov said that the Left MPs will attend the swearing in of the new caretaker cabinet if it takes place on Tuesday. In his words, "this is a constitutional duty of each National Representative". 

Earlier on Thursday, President Rumen Radev mandated Dimitar Glavchev to propose a caretaker cabinet line-up by Monday, August 26.