Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev refused on August 19 to appoint a caretaker government nominated by Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva, postponing indefinitely the snap general election that was expected to be scheduled for mid-October.

His move could unlock the biggest constitutional crisis in the country in recent years, and is seen as possibly dangerous as it leaves the country without properly functioning institutions amid the ongoing political crisis.

Radev said he is refusing to sign a decree on the appointment of Kozhareva’s government, claiming that the nomination for interior minister – Kalin Stoyanov who already held the post in two governments – was unacceptable.

“The efforts made to form a caretaker government do not correspond to the most essential condition for the successful implementation of this mandate – to ensure the calming of the political situation and the holding of fair election. Obviously, this is impossible if Mr. Kalin Stoyanov retains his post as minister of interior,” Radev said.

He proposed that Kozhareva replace Stoyanov by 3 p.m. on the same day but she refused to do so, saying she made a thorough analysis before nominating the cabinet.

Stoyanov is a member of Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev’s current caretaker government and held the same post in previous regular government under Nikolai Denkov. During that time, Denkov requested his resignation over excessive police violence during a football match, but he was defended by Gerb – the then coalition partner of Denkov’s Change Continues-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition – and by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), making it impossible to remove him.

Subsequently, CC-DB said Stoyanov was under the influence of DPS’s operational co-leader Delyan Peevski. The same accusation was made by other politicians in the following months.

Radev urged parliament to elect people to take the vacant positions, among whom MPs can choose a caretaker prime minister, so that he can continue the procedure of appointing a new caretaker government.

According to the latest constitutional changes, adopted by the previous parliament, the president can only pick a caretaker prime minister between several public figures. The list includes the central bank governor and his or her deputies, the chairman of the audit office (currently Glavchev) and his deputies. Kozhareva is one of Glavchev’s deputies. The list also includes the ombudsman and his or her deputy, however, these two positions are vacant at the moment.

Glavchev, who previously said he would not agree to head a second caretaker government, said on August 19 he might do so depending on the situation. The central bank’s deputy governor Petar Tchobanov (from the DPS) also said he would agree to become a caretaker prime minister. Previously, he too refused to do so.

Meanwhile, CC-DB and DPS members who were excluded by Peevski from the party’s parliamentary group after a rift within the party, proposed to all political formations in parliament except Peevski and MPs following him joint consultations on August 20 to urgently find a solution to the current crisis.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) refused to participate in the search for a new interim prime minister and says it will not back a procedure for the election of an ombudsman and deputy-ombudsman or new deputy-leaders of the audit office, which could unblock the procedure.

Constitutional expert Orlin Kolev said that Radev cannot refuse to appoint a caretaker government as long as the procedure is respected – which is the case with Kozhareva’s nomination. Kozhareva said she will refer Radev’s decision to the acting chief prosecutor Borislav Sarafov, claiming she is under political pressure from Radev.

Other constitutional experts, however, think that Radev’s move was legal. Natalia Kiselova said that Radev can refuse to appoint a caretaker government if he does not approve some of the nominated ministers.