Georgi Bliznashki, caretaker Prime Minister, has expressed hopes that Bulgaria will have a new government within 10 days.

Bliznashki spoke to journalists in Parliament during Friday’s inaugural session of the 43rd National Assembly.

He stressed that political parties had reached agreement on the need to adopt a budget update, adding that the matter had also been negotiated at a meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation.

Bliznashki noted, however, that the concrete budget update draft could be rejected.

Asked to comment on the demands for the resignation of the Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) over the case of the troubled Corporate Commercial Bank (KTB, Corpbank), he said that it would be up to the new MPs to decide on the matter.

Bliznashki said that the caretaker government would start winding down its activity in anticipation of the assumption of office of a new Cabinet.

As regards electricity prices, he emphasized that the price hike in October had been inevitable, taking into account the huge deficit at the National Electric Company (NEK) and the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH).

Bulgaria’s caretaker Prime Minister suggested that the caretaker government had taken steps to make sure that its successor would have a smooth start of its term in office.

He underscored that it was not the caretaker government but the State Commission for Energy and Water Regulation (DKEVR) that had increased power rates.

Bliznashki reminded that the caretaker government had established the Energy Board as a platform for in-depth discussions on problems of the energy sector.