2024-08-26 09:42:28
Ivan Kondov takes over Externally
The head of the national police, Atanas Ilkov, will probably be the new interior minister, with whom the new old prime minister, Dimitar Glavchev, will try to calm the political situation. On Monday, he must return the completed folder with the names of ministers to President Rumen Radev. Because of the stormy attacks against Kalin Stoyanov, it was not easy to find a candidate for the post.
A few people refused,
and Ilkov himself had a hard time accepting the invitation. According to the political gossip, already on Friday he began issuing the post, albeit reluctantly. (Who is he – below.)
This is also one of the most attacked posts in the governments over the years, and because of the political attacks on Stoyanov, it is expected that even with a regular cabinet, it will be increasingly difficult to find candidates, say political observers.
Another name that made the rounds during the week was that of the Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Dimitar Kangaljiev. However, he categorically denied being invited for the post. “I believe that at this stage of my professional career it is not the time and place for me to be the interior minister either,” he said on Sunday. He was at an event in Burgas where the memory of fallen policemen was honored.
Ilkov’s nomination is accepted as a compromise between Radev and Glavchev, because his career in the upper echelons began at the time of GERB. However, he is also associated with Nikolay Koprinkov, close to the presidential secretariat. Ilkov headed the Criminal Police in Plovdiv at the time Koprinkov was mayor of the Plovdiv village of Trud.
The name of the police chief was floated as a likely candidate already during the preparation of Gorica Kozhareva’s draft cabinet. Then the co-chairman of “We continue the change” Kiril Petkov reacted sharply against him. In the end, Kozhareva chose to bet on Kalin Stoyanov again and this led to the refusal to sign the decree.
Then the names of Emil Ganchev and Vencislav Katinov were also mentioned. The two were deputies of Ivan Demerdzhiev while he was acting minister in the Ministry of the Interior. Glavchev was not inclined to choose one of the two, even though they were people from the system. The reason is that such a move could be interpreted as too big a gesture towards Radev – both are accused of being close to the presidential adviser Plamen Uzunov.
The search for a new interior minister has been aimed at a professional from the system, sources in the Ministry of Interior say. After the tension with the uniformed officers, who have been sounding sirens all week demanding that Kalin Stoyanov stay, such a cautious and respectful approach to them is the most appropriate, observers comment.
For the last 15 years, only four have been foreign ministers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
– Yordan Bakalov, Rumyana Bachvarova, Valentin Radev and Ivan Demerdzhiev.
It is certain that the foreign minister will be new. Until now, the post has been held by Prime Minister Glavchev, as he himself declared long ago that this is the first change he would make if he was offered to continue at the head of the executive power. Thus, the second new name in Glavchev’s folder will be the current Deputy Minister Ivan Kondov, who was already in office and has extensive experience in organizing elections abroad, for which he is responsible at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Yes, I have received an invitation and accepted it,
was the brief comment of diplomat Kondov to bTV. He also agreed to take part in the defunct “Kozhareva” office.
The current Minister of Transport, Georgi Gvozdeikov, is also questionable about staying in “Glavchev 2”. He was absent from Grancharova-Kozhareva’s folder.
Health Minister Galya Kondeva will probably keep her post, even though there were objections to her.
Vice President Iliyana Yotova was optimistic that Glavchev will form a cabinet because Radev was clear and understood when handing over the mandate
I hope that the dividing lines will be closed, and not new ones opened, so that there will be a basis and soil for talks after that and Bulgaria’s priorities will really be set, Yotova from Shipka said on Saturday.
Who is Atanas Ilkov:
A career policeman, Atanas Ilkov will turn 60 on December 20. This is the maximum age for service in the Ministry of the Interior. However, the political post of a minister may extend his stay in the interior ministry if the parties do not form a regular government again and the official continues to rule.
Ilkov has been a policeman since 1987. His career began in Pazardzhik as a forensic scientist. He worked in the sector dealing with prisoners. He was then appointed to the national police, and since 2013, at the beginning of the “Oresharski” cabinet, he has been the head of the Criminal Police there. During this period, he planned the action in Lyaskovets, which should neutralize the barricaded local resident Petko Petkov. Commandos were sent there, and Petkov shot at them. Emil Sharkov kills the beret. After that, Ilkov was fired, but the court reinstated him in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Thus he was appointed head of the Criminal Police in Plovdiv in 2016. When Director Plamen Uzunov became the first acting Minister of Internal Affairs in a cabinet appointed by Rumen Radev, Ilkov took his place. Later, under the third GERB government, he was sent to lead the ODMVR – Kardzhali, and in 2020 he was “demoted” to the head of the Center for Specialization and Police Training in Kazanlak. He returned to the national police as deputy director under Boyko Rashkov in August 2021. A year later he was already the director of the police and 2 years since then he has been in this post, where he survived two regular and two official offices.