Bulgaria Delays Elections Amid Political Conflict

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has declined to appoint a caretaker government, exacerbating the ongoing political deadlock in the country. The refusal centers around the nomination of Kalin Stoyanov to remain as interior minister, a choice that has sparked controversy due to Stoyanov's ties to Delyan Peevski, a Bulgarian oligarch sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K. for corruption. Stoyanov has also faced backlash for his handling of police violence during protests, further complicating his position. Radev expressed his discontent on social media, stating that he had urged Gorica Grancharova-Kozhareva, the proposed acting prime minister, to consider alternative candidates for the interior minister role. However, Grancharova-Kozhareva's refusal to replace Stoyanov led Radev to terminate her mandate to form a caretaker government. Her cabinet proposal aimed to retain most current ministers, including Stoyanov, who has held the interior minister position since June 2023. The political tension escalated as Stoyanov accused the reformist opposition alliance, We Continue the Change / Democratic Bulgaria, of colluding with Radev to undermine him. Peevski, who leads the ethnic Turkish party DPS, has also accused Radev of exerting pressure on Grancharova-Kozhareva regarding the caretaker government formation. In response to the mounting allegations, Grancharova-Kozhareva announced plans to report the political pressure to the prosecutor’s office. Bulgaria has been grappling with political instability since 2020, following widespread protests against the perceived infiltration of organized crime into state institutions.