site.btaCaretaker PM Explains Three Replacements in Proposed Cabinet

Speaking to reporters after presenting to President Rumen Radev his proposal for composition and lineup of a caretaker cabinet, Prime Minister-designate Dimitar Glavchev explained what motivated him to change three of his ministers. He said the problems in the Bulgarian State Railways (BDZ) are the reason why Transport and Communications Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov was replaced. 

Glavchev proposed Krasimira Stoyanova as caretaker minister of transport and communications in his second cabinet.

“All of us in the outgoing government have a wonderful relations and communication. Professionally, each of them did their job well. The only thing that seems unacceptable to me is the politicization of these positions, especially in a caretaker government”, Glavchev said.

The Prime Minister recalled two accidents involving trains in recent days: in one passengers had to push-start a train engine and in the other a passenger train caught fire and the passengers had to be bused to their destination.

In his words, each minister is responsible for the situation in his department. 

Commenting on how he came up with the name of Atanas Ilkov as Interior Minister, Glavchev said that a successor for outgoing Interior Minister Kalin Stoyanov was named in dialogue with the President. “We started from there that he should be a professional from the Interior Ministry system, so as not to politicize it”, Glavchev said. According to him, there were not many options for a potential minister in the Ministry.

"Ilkov is currently the Head of General Directorate National Police, there are a total of four or five such general directorates and there is no one there suitable for this position," the Prime Minister said.

The paramount considerations in picking Ilkov were “professionalism and distance from politics," he summed up. 

Asked to elaborate on his decision to have a minister in charge of foreign affairs rather than serve as Foreign Minister as well, caretaker Prime Minister Glavchev said, “The international situation is about to get more complicated, we need a person to be fully dedicated to it. Ivan Kondov earned my trust while sitting in for me as foreign minister, so this is the reason why I proposed him”, the Prime Minister explained.