SOFIA: Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova on Wednesday appointed a caretaker government ahead of another round of parliamentary elections in April in a bid to stave off the country’s political instability and economic woes.
Yotova singled out the preparation of fair elections as the most important task of the new interim government. She also referred to the urgent need to allay people’s fears of rising prices of goods and services, following the country’s adoption of the single European currency in January.
The president also said that the interim Cabinet must be sworn in formally at a special ceremony in Parliament, and that she will issue a decree to hold snap parliamentary elections on April 19.
The resignation of the outgoing governing coalition led by the center-right GERB party came in the wake of nationwide protests at the end of 2025 that were sparked by public anger over corruption, injustice, and perceived oligarchic influence.
The collapse helped pave the way toward a new election — the eighth since April 2021 — which analysts expect could increase the number of seats held by nationalist and pro-Russia groups.
Interim Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Truman State University in Missouri and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in Austria. Having held senior positions in academia and European financial institutions, he was appointed deputy governor of the Bulgarian central bank in Sofia in 2023. Before that, he was also a lawmaker and floor leader of the reformist “We Continue the Change” group in parliament.
The new caretaker premier will be backed by a Cabinet of experts for his main tasks: to ensure fair and transparent elections and restore public trust in institutions that has been eroded by political uncertainty plaguing the EU and NATO member nation.
Gyurov is set to head Bulgaria’s 12th caretaker government, half of them appointed by the former head of state, Rumen Radev. He left the presidency to start his own political party and will be standing as a candidate in the snap elections.
Bulgarian president appoints caretaker government and sets snap election date for April 19
https://arab.news/4u5xg
Bulgarian president appoints caretaker government and sets snap election date for April 19
- Yotova singled out the preparation of fair elections as the most important task of the new interim government
- The interim Cabinet must be sworn in formally at a special ceremony in Parliament
Pakistan killed over 80 militants in strikes on TTP camps in Afghanistan — official
- Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy
- The Afghan Taliban authorities accuse Pakistani forces of killing civilians in the airstrikes
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan destroyed seven Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps and killed over 80 militants, a Pakistani security official said on Sunday, with the Afghan Taliban accusing Pakistani forces of killing civilians in the assault.
Saturday’s airstrikes followed a series of attacks inside Pakistan amid a surge in militancy. Authorities say the attacks, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, were carried out by the TTP and allied groups that Islamabad alleges are operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. Kabul denies this.
According to Pakistan’s information ministry, recent incidents included a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad, separate attacks in Bajaur and Bannu, and another recent incident in Bannu during the holy month of Ramadan, which started earlier this week. The government said it had “conclusive evidence” linking the attacks to militants directed by leadership based in Afghanistan.
“Last night, Pakistan’s intelligence-based air strikes destroyed seven centers of Fitna Al-Khawarij TTP in three provinces of Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost, in which more than eighty Khawarij (TTP militants) have been confirmed killed, while more are expected,” a Pakistani security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Arab News.
An earlier statement from Pakistan’s information ministry said the targets included a camp of a Daesh regional affiliate, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), which claimed a suicide bombing at an Islamabad Shiite mosque that killed 32 people this month.
In an X post, Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani forces had violated Afghan territory.
“Pakistani special military circles have once again trespassed into Afghan territory,” Mujahid said. “Last night, they bombed our civilian compatriots in Nangarhar and Paktika provinces, martyring and wounding dozens of people, including women and children.”
The Afghan Taliban’s claims of civilian casualties could not be independently verified. Pakistan did not immediately comment on the allegation that civilians had been killed in the strikes.
In a post on X, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said it had summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to Afghanistan Ubaid-ur-Rehman Nizamani and lodged protest through a formal démarche in response to the Pakistani military strikes.
“IEA-MoFA (The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs) vehemently condemns the violation of Afghanistan’s airspace and the targeting of civilians, describing it as a flagrant breach of Afghanistan’s territorial integrity & a provocative action,” it said in a statement.
“The Pakistani side was also categorically informed that safeguarding Afghanistan’s territorial integrity is the religious responsibility of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan; henceforth, the responsibility for any adverse consequences of such actions will rest with the opposing side.”
Tensions between Islamabad and Kabul have escalated since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in 2021. Pakistan says cross-border militant attacks have increased since then and has accused the Taliban of failing to honor commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement to prevent Afghan soil from being used for attacks against other countries. The Taliban deny allowing such activity and have previously rejected similar accusations.
Saturday’s exchange of accusations marks one of the most direct confrontations between the two neighbors in recent months and risks further straining already fragile ties along the volatile border.
