19.02.2026
The Council of Ministers Granite Hall was the venue of the transfer of power ceremony today. Statements were made by Mr. Andrey Gurov, head of the caretaker government, and by Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov.
Andrey Gurov:
Dear Mr. Jeliazkov,
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Deputy Prime Ministers,
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, Cabinet Ministers,
It is a truly turning point. Let us remember why we are all here; this is because our society still has an instinct, a democratic instinct, that leads to survival.
Democracy is sometimes noisy; democracy is painful but it shows, among other things, that citizens can implement their decision with the vote that they are empowered with and bring about a change of power that does not lead to destruction and problems in the country. I can bravely declare here that our caretaker government will draw on rules and not on revenge. Our mission is not to judge but to achieve several important goals.
For me, it is most important right now to regain the trust of people. What does it mean? It means transparency for all decisions taken and accountability for every coin and Euro spent. Also, it means that we will pursue a national unity concerning rules and not opinions. To achieve this, we must hold fair elections. And, last but not least, we must maintain economic stability. People went out in the streets and protested in disagreement with the budget proposed. They want to see security for their families, opportunities for their children and fair competition for businesses.
These are our tasks and we are getting started immediately. Thank you!
Rossen Jeliazkov:
Dear Prime Minister,
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen – Deputy Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers,
Dear Colleagues,
The present moment is not just packed with a solemn ceremony. The present moment is not a transfer of political heritage, item by item as per an inventory. The present moment is a moment of transfer and of assumption of responsibility. It is responsibility for the accomplishment of tasks, as you defined them a few minutes ago at the National Assembly. It is responsibility for the tasks that were mentioned yesterday by the Head of State.
There are two important days in the life of a politician and a leader. The first day is when he or she takes over the reins of government and on that day commitments and promises are made and expectations and a little bit of illusions are expressed. And then the day when he or she puts down the reins of government and when there is a stocktaking with many truths learned. Probably history does not remember individuals with pompous titles and pompous positions but it always remembers those who took decisions when such had to be taken.
I would like to address my colleagues. Dear colleagues, I thank you for taking these decisions when they were needed instead of taking easy decisions. I thank your teams, the administrations and the Council of Ministers staff. I thank all the personnel who work and will continue to work for the good of our country.
Prime Minister, you are a rational and wise man and I am sure that you and your colleagues will be able to distinguish between the good things that have been done and what has not been done but can be done as well as to rectify the mistakes that you will identify. Therefore, I think that the handover of the torch is very important in order to ensure the continuity of the exercise of the Executive branch of power and of the government of the country. That continuity is the blowtorch that can help keep the past burning but can also help us illumine the path forward.
I wish you success!
