A caretaker government was sworn in on August 2 in Bulgaria to run the EU member country until snap elections set for October 2 following the collapse of pro-Western Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's coalition government in late June.
The previous liberal-socialist coalition led by Petkov fell in a vote of no-confidence after just over half a year in power. The October polls will be the fourth parliamentary elections for the country since April 2021.
President Rumen Radev called on the caretaker government led by Prime Minister Galab Donev to focus on the priorities of securing the country's supply of energy and food, dealing with "skyrocketing inflation," and rooting out corruption.
Radev, who is regarded as Russia-friendly, told the freshly installed government that "your first priority should be to avoid the country getting caught up in the conflict."
Radev also disbanded parliament on August 2.
Bulgaria is heavily dependent on Russian energy imports, but Russia halted direct gas exports to the country after Petkov refused to pay in Russian rubles.
Relations between the two countries were further strained when Bulgaria expelled 70 diplomats and staff of the Russian Embassy on suspicion of espionage in late June.