Week One in Bulgaria's Caretaker Government: Calls for 2 Ministerial Changes Intensify the Crisis

Yesterday, Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev proposed to President Rumen Radev to relieve the Acting Minister of Agriculture Kiril Vatev from his post and to appoint Georgi Takhov as head of the department, the government information service reported. Takhov is currently the executive director of the State Fund "Agriculture".

On Monday evening, Glavchev demanded that Foreign Minister Stefan Dimitrov be replaced, with the current MP and GERB Deputy Chairman Daniel Mitov taking the post. This happened about three hours after the leader of GERB, Boyko Borissov, asked the caretaker prime minister to replace Dimitrov and a week after the inauguration of the Glavchev caretaker cabinet.

New low: Bulgaria's foreign minister turned off his phone during a crisis

The unfolding narrative regarding the potential replacement of Bulgaria's foreign minister has the makings of a significant chapter in the contemporary annals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It also has the potential to evolve into a political saga, especially in light of Vice President Iliana Yotova's recent remarks suggesting that President Rumen Radev might not endorse Stefan Dimitrov's removal from office.

In a span of just ten days, two nominees for the leadership of Bulgarian diplomacy have been withdrawn. Initially, the unconventional nomination of Ivaylo Tsenov, a consul in Vienna, on April 5 never progressed to the parliamentary swearing-in ceremony. Then, on Monday night, Acting Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev proposed Dimitrov's removal shortly after facing criticism from Boyko Borissov, leader of the GERB party and chairman of the foreign commission in the National Assembly, during a party assembly.

The recent events surrounding the Foreign...