site.btaPM Comments State of Play in Election of New Central Bank Governor

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that "no one should put their personal careers above the stability of Bulgaria". The comment comes a day after one of the two candidates for the position of central bank governor, Andrey Gurov of Petkov's Continue the Change party, announced the withdrawal of his nomination. The other candidate, Lyubomir Karimanski of the power-sharing There Is Such a People (TISP), remains in the race.

Petkov thanked Andrey Gurov for withdrawing.

He also said: "We have shown what leadership means. When there is no agreement, it is better to take a step back instead of insisting on someone's position at all costs."

According to him, there is no reason to aim for fast election of a new BNB governor. He is optimistic that it is still possible to find a unifying candidate. ''We currently have a candidacy that three of the four partners do not approve,'' said the Prime Minister.

Only TISP in the four-party government coalition support Karimanski. Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria wanted to see Gurov take the helm of the central bank and the former have already said they would not vote for the TISP candidate amid concerns over his career.

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) MP Roumen Gechev told Nova TV on Monday that his party will not support Karimanski either. Thus, the only remaining candidate will have to rely on the votes of the opposition.

"We will not vote in the hall for the BNB post, in this case for the candidacy of Lubomir Karimanski, because we do not want to take a side in the conflict. We will not deepen the rift in the coalition," Rumen Gechev said.

BSP does not intend to nominate its own candidate for the post.

BSP floor leader Georgi Svilenski said on the Bulgarian National Radio that a new procedure for electing a BNB governor is the way out of the situation.