GERB Party: Kalin Hristov Must Become Bulgarian National Bank Governor

Boyko Borisov, leader of center-right party GERB, has suggested that Kalin Hristov must replace Ivan Iskrov at the post of Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB).

Hristov is a member of the current Managing Board of the Bulgarian National Bank.

One year ago, Hristov was Finance Minister in the caretaker government headed by Marin Raykov, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio.

In response to Borisov's proposal, Atanas Merdzhanov, Chair of the parliamentary group of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), said that the entire Managing Board of BNB had to be replaced but the decision for that had to be taken by the next Parliament.

Earlier on Friday, President Rosen Plevneliev insisted that the Parliament come up with a statement on the personnel problem at BNB as soon as possible, warning that the politicians would otherwise have to refrain from comments which could erode trust in BNB.

In a statement to the existing Parliament, Plevneliev reiterated his call for an update of the state budget and for allowing the caretaker government to take external loan.

BSP opposed the motion decisively.

The leader of GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) proposed a compromise solution involving that the Parliament adopt the state budget update as requested by the former socialist-led government.