The Budget Committee in parliament approved the rules for electing a deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank to head the "Issue" department in place of Andrey Gyurov. However, the topic provoked serious criticism from the member of the Governing Council of the central bank, Lyubomir Karimanski, who was a guest in the studio of "From the Day" on BNT.
According to him, the procedure is being hastily initiated by a parliament with shaken public trust:
"I don't see why a parliament, which is actually illegitimate in the eyes of society after the events of December last year, rushed to end this procedure so quickly. By law, it is legitimate, yes - it can also adopt a budget. But the issue is about trust."
Karimanski quotes BNB Governor Dimitar Radev to argue his position:
"In the Bulgarian public conversation about Europe and corruption, we often consider these topics separately. From an institutional point of view, this division is artificial. Corruption is not just a moral problem – it is a problem of efficiency and trust. When trust is undermined, the benefits of eurozone membership cannot be fully realized."
According to him, it is precisely the lack of trust in parliament that casts doubt on the choice of a new deputy governor:
"When society has lost its trust in this parliament, how can we say that an expert elected with its support will have the necessary weight? Then, in the previous elections, there was a newly elected parliament. Now the situation is different."
Karimanski also expressed concern about the shortened nomination deadlines.
"Why was the proposal to have a two-week deadline for candidacies not supported? It's only seven days. There were changes to the BNB Law that require a clear declaration of independence from political parties. It takes time to make sure that these requirements are met."
He did not rule out the possibility of political pressure:
"I do not rule out greater influence and pressure from political forces that want to occupy the operational management of the Central Bank."
In his words, filling out the so-called "house book" with appointments made by a parliament with low trust is an additional cause for concern:
"It is even more worrying that this house book will be filled with people whom neither the society nor the president trust."
Karimanski also raised a question about the activities of the parliamentary budget committee:
"Since the beginning of the year, there has not been a meeting of the budget committee. This is one of the first meetings. Is it normal for a month and a half - two with a working parliament to not have a single meeting? I don't think it is normal."
Regarding the acting Finance Minister, Karimanski said that he expects a complete revision of public procurement:
"We need to see all public procurements included at the last minute - how the criteria were developed, which companies and which real owners are behind them. It is very important to establish whether there is a connection between real owners and political forces."
Karimanski emphasized that society expects concrete answers from both the previous rulers and the caretaker government.