09.04.2024
Today the Council of Ministers Granite Hall was the venue of the ceremony of the transfer of power. Statements were made by Dimitar Glavchev, Head of the Caretaker Government, and Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov.
Dimitar Glavchev:
Dear Academician Denkov,
Dear cabinet ministers,
Dear colleagues,
Today is an important day for all of us who from now on accept responsibility to steer the country’s European course of development. We take this responsibility to protect the sovereignty of the state, to work for the welfare of the Bulgarian citizens and to fulfil our major task as a caretaker government, viz. the organization of fair elections.
I accepted this appointment with all the responsibility and role as assigned to me by the Constitution to put nominations for a cabinet. I had my hesitations, reflections and worries but I will leave them behind the threshold that I crossed today.
I have the confidence of the people whom I have selected. They have my confidence. They are proven experts and professionals in their field each with whom, together, we have the tough task to steer the country’s course in this period. While I am well aware that this is a huge responsibility, I am likewise aware of the intricacy of the transition, which leaves no room for hesitation.
We must be the pillar of stability. We should not let the country slip into a constitutional crisis. Statehood shall not be left unprotected and should not be made a hostage of the ambitions and desires of political parties.
I want to declare right now, given the comments of any kind that I already hear, that I will not surrender to provocations. I will not delve into petty matters. I will not allow anyone to involve me in pre-election power struggles or in personal ambitions. My colleagues and I will be a factor of stability in this volatile situation; I will not tolerate any abdications from our generally charted goals and I will abide by the laws of the Republic to achieve these goals.
I am deeply aware of what we pronounced as we were sworn in in Parliament. I promise that the guiding principles of my work will be law-abidance, moral integrity and honesty, as the Bulgarian citizens need trust in the Bulgarian statehood and government. The Bulgarian people need to see unity. We must ensure peace and security for Bulgarian citizens and show our external partners a country that is confident and continues its course in the European future.
We must be the guarantee for the holding of fair elections in abidance by the amendments to the Constitution and in a situation without dissolution of Parliament.
I want together with my team to work for unity and not disunity, for the solution, not for the deterioration, of problems.
I am committed to active dialog with the institutions, to teamwork and to communication. I strongly believe that my colleagues and I will deservedly gain the Bulgarian citizens’ confidence.
In closing, I would quote our national hero and leader Vassil Levski: “In our understanding everything lies in our combined strength that will resist even the strongest turbulences.”
I thank you for your attention.
Nikolai Denkov:
Dear Prime Minister,
Dear cabinet ministers,
Dear members of the media,
By this ceremony, we transfer the power to the new cabinet with our wishes for success as we wish them to be able to do the work that will benefit the people of Bulgaria.
I can assure you that as long as our cabinet was in office, it did its utmost to proceed with the program of government, to implement all tasks that we had the time to complete and thus to provide you with certainty about the smooth transition to the next period.
It is obvious that one of your most difficult, and at the same time, your most important task will be to succeed in ensuring fair elections that will win the confidence of the citizens. It is difficult as at present there is no trust in a part of the political processes. I hope that your actions will manage to regain the confidence.
There are a few clear signs whether you will be successful or not. One of these, for instance, is whether there will be voting machines. This is so as practice has shown that if it is not a machine vote, the percentage of invalid ballots is so high that it begins to cast suspicions on the election returns. I hope, on the one hand, that you will be able to organize the process and second, that you will receive support from the other institutions with which you will have to operate jointly for the elections.
The second sign, of course, is the percentage of invalid ballots. I hope it will be low so that the election returns are not contested.
I call on the National Assembly: I hope that no one will feel tempted in the run-up to the elections to try to amend the Election Code because this would also throw a shadow on the elections even if done with the best intentions.
I also want to assure you that we are at your disposal. We will do our best to ensure smooth transition. We will be available and try to help on any questions, any assistance concerning our work done, current developments and the forthcoming government of the state.
Good luck!
