President says he will not be responsible for caretaker government's policies

President Rumen Radev told the media on Tuesday he had no say in determining the lineup of the caretaker government, unlike before, and therefore he will not be responsible for its policies. Radev was approached by journalists on his way to an extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly, at which the new caretaker government would be sworn in.

Earlier in the day, the President's Press Secretariat said that Radev has signed a decree appointing the caretaker government proposed by Prime Minister-designate Dimitar Glavchev in accordance with the latest amendments to the Constitution.

Radev commented: "The responsibility for the caretaker government rests with Dimitar Glavchev, and above all, the still-functioning Parliament. There is a Parliament that keeps functioning, there is a lot of work to do and many laws to adopt. Two regular governments did nothing about the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the only payment was received under the Donev caretaker government." The President noted that his institution was robbed of its powers concerning caretaker governments due to strenuous efforts by the parties which were behind the latest regular government.

Discussing the only correction made to the original lineup of the new caretaker government, Radev said the replacement of the foreign minister was Glavchev's decision.

"The main job of the caretaker cabinet is to organize fair elections. Dimitar Glavchev and his team should leave no doubt that the elections are fair, especially in this highly volatile situation," the President said.

As for Kalin Stoyanov, who kept his job as Interior Minister despite the change of government and despite tensions in his ministry, the President said it is the new prime minister, and not himself, that has to run the country with his ministers. "In this situation, the prime minister has the right to choose his team, and I respect that."

Radev accused the previous government of turning a blind eye to the fact that Interior Ministry Secretary General Zhivko Kotsev has damaged the ministry's prestige. The President made the remark in connection with disclosures about smuggling and malpractices at the Customs Agency. According to the President, an attempt has been made to turn a purely criminal case into a political one.