Bulgaria’s president picks senior central bank official as acting PM 

Bulgaria’s president has tapped the country’s deputy central bank governor to serve as interim prime minister, tasked with leading a caretaker government that will soon oversee a new parliamentary vote.

President Iliana Iotova nominated Andrey Gurov to act as PM on Wednesday, reported the state-run Bulgarian News Agency (BNA). Iotova plans to meet Gurov tomorrow and formally task him with putting together a caretaker government, said the agency.

Bulgaria has been without a regular government since December 11, when the previous cabinet resigned amid huge street protests against its economic policies and perceived failure to curb corruption.

Protesters voiced anger over the last government’s planned 2026 budget, which would have increased social security contributions and some taxes in a bid to plug state financing shortfalls.

No date has yet been set for the upcoming snap election, which ‌will be the eighth in just five years for the European Union (EU) and NATO member state amid deep political divisions. Iotova previously said she would try to ensure elections take place by mid- to ‌late-April.

Iotova became Bulgaria’s first female head of state last month after her predecessor, President Rumen Radev, also resigned. Radev is expected to set up a new party.

The poorest member of the EU, Bulgaria has faced prolonged political instability, with parties ‌unable ‌to form stable ruling coalitions in a fragmented parliament.