Sofia, 19 May 1997 (RFE/RL) -- Bulgarian Prime Minister designate Ivan Kostov today presented his cabinet to President Petar Stoyanov. The cabinet will go before parliament for formal approval on Wednesday.
The proposed cabinet retains five ministers from the current caretaker government, including Interior Minister Bogomil Bonev and Defense Minister Georgi Ananiev. Alexander Bozhkov remains as deputy premier and Industry Minister. Nadezhda Mihailova has been nominated to be Bulgaria's Foreign Minister.
The president issued a decree opening the way for Wednesday's vote in parliament.
Stoyanov, referring to Bulgaria's crisis-ridden economy, said that like everyone else in Bulgaria, he was "keeping his fingers crossed" for the success of the new government. Last week, Stoyanov formally asked Kostov, who is also the leader of the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), to form a new government. The UDF won parliamentary elections last month. The elections were called early after economic crises led to the fall of the socialist government.