News

Bulgarian Cabinet Mixes Old Hands and Surprises

Boyko Borissov’s new cabinet contains several familiar faces - but some appointments are likely to stir more controversy.
Borissov’s third cabinet takes oath in Parliament on Thursday. Photo: Vassil Donev/EPA

Bulgaria’s new government, a coalition between Boyko Borissov’s centre-right party GERB and the nationalist United Patriots, assumed office on Thursday after it was voted in by the National Assembly.

MPs backed the Borissov-led cabinet with 133 votes in favour, 101 against and no abstentions.

Borissov called on the five parties in parliament to “overcome party egoism in the name of the national interest and the interest of the citizens”.

Later on Thursday the cabinet – which is a precedent in Bulgaria’s latest history both because its leader will be a prime minister for the third time and because it includes nationalist parties – officially took over from the caretaker government in the Council of Ministers building.

The line-up of 18 ministers and four deputy-prime ministers, announced by Borissov on Wednesday, drew mixed reactions.

It was no surprise that the ministers of sports, energy, finance and tourism – all Borissov favourites – kept their portfolios. Experienced administrators have also been put in charge of culture, education, labour and healthcare. But some freshly appointed names – or their unexpected roles – have caused more of a stir.

Ekaterina Zaharieva – proven multi-tasker

The former Justice Minister in Borissov’s last cabinet is among the surprises in the new government after she was unexpectedly given foreign affairs. The opposition in parliament promptly accused her of lacking the competence to run diplomacy. Zaharieva is also Borissov’s deputy in charge of judicial reform, something she was expected to carry on doing as a minister.

Valeri Simeonov – nationalist in charge of demography

As a part of the coalition agreement between GERB and the United Patriots’ coalition, the nationalists have obtained two deputy-prime ministerial positions. One goes to Valeri Simeonov, leader of the National Front for Salvation of Bulgaria party, NFSB. A businessman and owner of the nationalist TV station SKAT, Simeonov entered politics in 2007 as a member of the municipal council of the city of Burgas. He was initially part of the far-right ATAKA party, led by Volen Siderov, currently part of the Patriots’ bloc, but after a break with Siderov he founded his own party in 2011.

Simeonov is famous for his radical language. In 2014, during a speech in parliament, he called the Bulgarian Roma “ferocious apes”. Two years later, he attacked Bulgarians living abroad for staging protests against voting changes that limited their voting rights.

Krasimir Karakachanov – former communist spy gets defence

The leader of the nationalist VMRO party and Borissov’s last deputy, Krasimir Karakachanov, will combine a vice-minister’s post monitoring security and public order with being Minister of Defence.

He first entered parliament in 1997 within the centre-right United Democratic Forces. Karakachanov is one of the strongest voices in Bulgarian nationalism and is the author of several books on Macedonia, which nationalists claim is a Bulgarian land.

In 2006, the former Interior Minister, Rumen Petkov, disclosed that he was recruited as an agent for the former Communist secret services in 1989.

Neno Dimov – climate change sceptic running environment

Among the more surprising faces in the new government is that of Neno Dimov, the new Minister of Environment. The head of the Institute for Right-Wing Policy, a think-thank close to GERB, has a long background within centre-right politics but has now become a minister from the quota of the nationalists.

A former member of Bulgaria’s EU negotiation team, Dimov is a harsh critic of the theory of global warming, calling it “manipulation” and “a global business with fear”.  He considers sustainable development “the new Socialism” and will probably cause a lot of headaches for Bulgaria’s environmental groups.

Tsetska Tsacheva – failed president lands the judiciary post

While it was expected that Ekaterina Zaharieva would continue her mandate as a Justice Minister, the post has gone to Tsetska Tsacheva, GERB’s failed presidential candidate, whose defeat provoked the resignation of the former cabinet.

She entered politics in 2007 when she ran at the local elections with the newly founded GERB party. In the 2009 elections, she led GERB’s electoral list in Pleven and became an MP. In the 2009 and 2013 elections, Tsacheva also made it into parliament and was twice elected its president.

Valentin Radev– arms expert gets the Interior Ministry

Bulgaria’s new Interior Minister – one of the most challenging portfolios due to a pile of problems and unrealized reforms in the police – is a former deputy defence minister and an MP from GERB, specializing in ammunitions and explosive chemicals. 

Stoyan Karanikolov – from privatization to the economy

Before becoming Economy Minister, Stoyan Karanikolov was director of the State Agency for Privatization and Post-Privatization Control. Despite his close ties to GERB, he was surprisingly nominated by ATAKA, one of the far-right parties in the United Patriots’ coalition.

As head of the privatization agency, Karanikolov’s name was linked to to several controversial deals, including the purchase of the state giant Bulgartabac by VTB Capital, a company with unclear ownership and allegedly linked to notorious MP Delyan Peevski and the wanted banker Tsvetan Vasilev, who has been in exile in Belgrade since his Corporate Commercial Bank collapsed in 2014.

Lilyana Pavlova – from regional development to EU Presidency

The  Regional Development Minister in Borissov’s first two cabinets, and one of his trusted allies, has surprisingly handed her post to her former deputy, Nikolay Nachev. Instead of keeping this key portfolio, which covers Bulgaria’s key road construction projects, Palvlova will be a Minister in charge of Bulgaria’s EU Presidency, set for the first half of 2018.