Bulgarian president appoints caretaker government and sets snap election date for April 19

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova on Wednesday appointed a caretaker government ahead of another round of parliamentary elections in April in a bid to stave off the country’s political instability and economic woes.

Yotova singled out the preparation of fair elections as the most important task of the new interim government. She also referred to the urgent need to allay people’s fears of rising prices of goods and services, following the country’s adoption of the single European currency in January.

The president also said that the interim Cabinet must be sworn in formally at a special ceremony in Parliament, and that she will issue a decree to hold snap parliamentary elections on April 19.

The resignation of the outgoing governing coalition led by the center-right GERB party came in the wake of nationwide protests at the end of 2025 that were sparked by public anger over corruption, injustice, and perceived oligarchic influence.

The collapse helped pave the way toward a new election — the eighth since April 2021 — which analysts expect could increase the number of seats held by nationalist and pro-Russia groups.

Interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Truman State University in Missouri and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in Austria. Having held senior positions in academia and European financial institutions, he was appointed deputy governor of the Bulgarian central bank in Sofia in 2023. Before that, he was also a lawmaker and floor leader of the reformist “We Continue the Change” group in parliament.

The new caretaker premier will be backed by a Cabinet of experts for his main tasks: to ensure fair and transparent elections and restore public trust in institutions that has been eroded by political uncertainty plaguing the EU and NATO member nation.

Gyurov is set to head Bulgaria’s 12th caretaker government, half of them appointed by the former head of state, Rumen Radev. He left the presidency to start his own political party and will be standing as a candidate in the snap elections.