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Kiril Petkov is elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria, what an attitude he has warned towards Skopje

Politiko 2021-12-13 19:24:30

Kiril Petkov is elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria, what an attitude he has

Bulgarian lawmakers voted on Monday for Harvard-educated businessman Kiril Petkov as prime minister and approved the composition of his broad-based coalition government, ending months of political stalemate in the European Union's poorest member state, Reuters reports .

Petkov, 41, won Bulgaria's third national election this November, securing a clear 134-vote majority in the 240-member parliament to take over the reins of the Balkan country.

He will lead an unprecedented ruling coalition with the left-wing Socialists, the anti-establishment ITN party and the center-right Democratic Bulgaria, united under the motto "zero tolerance for corruption", for a four-year term.

"I will insist that corruption from the lowest level to the highest be exposed," Petkov told the chamber before his election, urging all lawmakers to support the legal changes needed to review the judiciary.

The new government takes office after eight months of political stalemate and two interim administrations as anger against high-level corruption ended the ten-year rule of former center-right Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.

His cabinet will have to lead Bulgaria through challenges ranging from high energy costs and low COVID vaccination rates to preparing the economy for 2024 entry into the eurozone.

"My first task will be to keep electricity costs to consumers and raise the level of vaccinations to at least the EU average," Petkov told reporters.

He pledged to deepen Bulgaria's integration into the EU and NATO alliance and to intensify talks with neighboring northern Macedonia to resolve a historic dispute that has pushed Sofia to block the start of EU accession talks with Skopje.

He has previously stated that Bulgaria will not change its attitude towards northern Macedonia.

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