Bulgaria appoints caretaker Govt

Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova moved on Thursday to quell the country’s chronic political instability by appointing a senior central bank official as interim prime minister until national elections in April. Andrey Gyurov, deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, will lead a caretaker government whose main task will be to organize a free and fair vote in a country that is holding its eighth election in five years.

The political uncertainty that has plagued the EU and NATO member state during this period has eroded public trust in institutions, created an opening for populist and nationalist groups, and paved the way for Russian hybrid influence. President Yotova, who announced the appointment, said that she expects Gyurov to propose the members of his cabinet within seven days. She would then have to approve the proposal and set the election date, which she had previously indicated would be April 19. Gyurov, 50, holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Truman State University in Missouri and a PhD from the University of Vienna in Austria.

Having held senior positions in academia and European financial institutions, he was appointed deputy governor of the 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. Nationwide protests erupted at the end of 2025, sparked by public anger over corruption, injustice, and perceived oligarchic influence, forcing the resignation of the governing coalition led by the centre-right GERB party.