After Rumen Radev's inauguration as Bulgaria's fifth president the question arises whether he will live up to the support that he received at the elections or will rather prompt disenchantment. For some insights we talked to political analyst Tatyana Burudzhieva.

„I do not expect any surprising turns in the positions of Rumen Radev in either foreign or domestic affairs. We are still to see what the lineup of his caretaker cabinet will be. There is an important point about this cabinet, given that the length of its term is not clear. The prospects for forming a government of Bulgaria after the snap elections are foggy. The caretaker administration might end up with a longer term and in this sense the evaluation and criteria pressed on this cabinet will be stricter.”

How would you comment on the newly appointed team of President Radev?

„The appointments are a way to judge about the top priorities that the president has laid out for his work. A focus has emerged on youth policies and this will be part of the diversity that we are going to see. We also have to emphasize on the range of councils that will be formed. We must scrutinize the relations between the president and the vice president, because these relations have always been problematic in the country's recent history.”

Based on the support for Rumen Radev from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, there have been speculations that he is likely to conduct a pro-Russian policy. What are the forecasts now?

“The political groups - especially in the rightwing segment, are willing to launch the thesis that the new president will set a new geostrategic direction for Bulgaria. The president has taken a clear and balanced stand based on the country's European and Atlantic orientation. He has also shown loyalty to the national interests of Bulgaria and this looks like a viable base, and a way to a more balanced international position of the country. During the two months in office of the caretaker cabinet appointed by President Radev I do not expect any U-turns in Bulgaria's international affairs. It is much more interesting how the regional balances of the country will be tipped: shall Bulgaria continue to stick mostly to its Balkan identity or shall it respond to the extended hand from the Central and Eastern European countries.”

What will be the highlights in the president's actions?

„I think that his policy during the two months of the caretaker administration will bring a more different look at the budget of the state with an emphasis on risk groups in terms of poverty. I expect a clear stance on the latest changes in the prices of pharmaceuticals carried out by outgoing Health Minister Petre Moskov. This concerns large groups of the population. I hope that the caretaker government will express the commitment of the president regarding demographic problems, the problems of the poor, the quality of healthcare and the needs of patients. In culture and education I expect decisive actions of this government.”

Are Bulgarians capable of optimism?

„Bulgarians tend to be pessimistic and keen to discover problems. It is hard for us to be optimists. For centuries the state has been foreign to its residents and Bulgarians have been used to tricking the government. This creates enormous problems in creating a democratic state and I think that positive changes in this direction take place slowly. We have to accumulate a lot of good quality practices so as to succeed in reverting this attitude of the citizens to public institutions and political affairs. The change of mentality takes a long time, and we can see that politicians have failed in assisting this change.”

English Daniela Konstantinova