SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova moved Thursday to quell the country’s chronic political instability by appointing a senior central bank official as interim prime minister until national elections in April.
Andrey Gyurov, deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, will lead a caretaker government whose main task will be to organize a free and fair vote in a country that is holding its eighth election in five years.
The political uncertainty that has plagued the EU and NATO member state during this period has eroded public trust in institutions, created an opening for populist and nationalist groups, and paved the way for Russian hybrid influence.
President Yotova, who announced the appointment, said that she expects Gyurov to propose the members of his cabinet within seven days. She would then have to approve the proposal and set the election date, which she had previously indicated would be April 19.
Gyurov, 50, holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Truman State University in Missouri and a Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in Austria. Having held senior positions in academia and European financial institutions, he was appointed deputy governor of the central bank in Sofia in 2023. Before that he was also a lawmaker and floor leader of the reformist “We Continue the Change” group in parliament.
Nationwide protests erupted at the end of 2025, sparked by public anger over corruption, injustice, and perceived oligarchic influence, forcing the resignation of the governing coalition led by the center-right GERB party. Several subsequent attempts to form a new government within the current fragmented parliament have failed.
According to Mario Bikarski, senior Eastern and Central Europe analyst at the risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, Gyurov’s appointment suggests that the president sought a figure who is not affiliated with GERB or DPS — the two main parties targeted by the street protests in December.
“The appointment will empower the opposition ahead of the upcoming snap election and will also dispel doubts about the policy priorities of the presidency,” Bikarski added in emailed comments.
Bulgaria joined the zone of countries using the euro currency at the beginning of this year. Picking a central bank representative as premier suggests macroeconomic stability has been sought amid the ongoing single currency adoption, Bikarski said.
However, he argued that the upcoming election is unlikely to resolve the prolonged political crisis.
“The election will likely produce three roughly equally sized blocs in parliament, with smaller parties at risk of falling below the parliamentary threshold (of 4% of the vote). Electoral consolidation is unlikely to restore stability, however, as all three political blocs will struggle to wrangle a majority,” he added.
FILE -A man walks backdropped by the Bulgarian Parliament building in Sofia, Oct. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova, File)
Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova, right, appoints Andrey Gyurov to lead as Prime Minister a caretaker government whose main task will be to organise free and fair elections in a country that will hold elections for the eighth time in the last five years, Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (Bulgarian News Agency via AP)
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh on Thursday held its first election since the 2024 mass protests toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government. The balloting was mostly peaceful in a vote seen as a critical test of the country’s democracy after years of political turmoil.
After a slow start, crowds converged on polling stations in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere later in the day. By 2:00 p.m., over 47% voters had cast their ballots, the Election Commission said. Polls closed at 4:30 p.m. and the counting started right away, with the results expected on Friday.
At one Dhaka polling station, poll officials manually counted the black-and-white paper ballots and checked each for validity before tabulating the results. Political party representatives were present as electoral observers and security officials kept a close watch.
More than 127 million people are eligible to vote in what was the country's first election since Hasina's ouster after weeks of mass protests, dubbed by many as a Gen Z uprising. Hasina fled the country and is living in India in exile while her party has been banned from the polls.
Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a leading contender to form the next government. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and returned to Bangladesh in December, after 17 years in self-exile in London. Rahman has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions, restore the rule of law and revive the struggling economy.
Challenging the BNP is an 11-party alliance led by the Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party, which was banned under Hasina but has gained prominence since her removal. The conservative religious group’s growing influence has fueled concern, particularly among women and minority communities, that social freedoms could come under pressure if they come to power. Bangladesh is more than 90% Muslim, while around 8% are Hindu.
Shafiqur Rahman, chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, expressed optimism after casting his vote in a polling station.
The election "is a turning point,” he told The Associated Press. “People demand change. They desire change. We also desire the change.”
Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus was upbeat about the election, saying it was a moment of national joy.
“This is a day of great joy. Today is the birthday of a new Bangladesh," Yunus told reporters as he voted in Dhaka's Gulshan area and visited other stations.
The interim government led by Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has said it is committed to delivering a credible and transparent election. As part of that effort, around 500 international observers and foreign journalists will be present, including delegations from the European Union and the Commonwealth, to which Bangladesh belongs.
Bangladesh’s Parliament has 350 seats, including 300 elected directly from single-member constituencies and 50 reserved for women. Lawmakers are chosen by plurality and the parliament serves a five-year term. The Election Commission recently postponed voting in one constituency after a candidate died.
The election follows a turbulent period marked by mob violence, attacks on Hindu minorities and the press, the growing influence of Islamists and weakening of the rule of law.
It could reshape the domestic stability of Bangladesh, a country whose post-1971 history since gaining independence from Pakistan has been marked by entrenched political parties, military coups and allegations of vote rigging. Young voters, many of whom played a central role in the 2024 uprising, are expected to be influential. Some 5 million first-time voters are eligible.
“I think it is a very crucial election because this is the first time we can show our opinion with freedom,” said Ikram ul Haque, 28, adding that past elections were far from fair.
“We are celebrating the election. It is like a festival here,” he said. “I hope Bangladesh will have exponential change.”
Thursday’s election is a critical test not just of leadership but of trust in Bangladesh’s democratic future. Voters can say “Yes” to endorse major reform proposals that stemmed from a national charter signed by major political parties last year.
Yunus was also enthusiastic about the referendum. “Voting for a candidate is important, but the referendum is very important. The whole of Bangladesh will change,” he said.
If a majority of voters favor the referendum, the newly elected Parliament could form a constitutional reform council to make the changes with 180 working days from its first session. The proposals include the creation of new constitutional bodies and changing Parliament from a single body to a bicameral legislature with an upper house empowered to amend the constitution by majority vote.
The BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami both signed the document with some changes after initially expressing some dissent.
Hasina’s Awami League party — still a major party in Bangladesh though banned from the polls — and some of its former allies were excluded from the discussion. From exile, Hasina denounced the election for excluding her party.
Some critics have also said that the referendum has limited the options put before voters.
A Bangladeshi Christian nun casts her vote in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus waves after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, centre, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A woman casts her vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A person shows victory signs after casting his vote outside a polling center during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Jamaat-e-Islami leader Shafiqur Rahman, center, addresses to the media after casting his vote at a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Chairperson Tarique Rahman waves as he comes out after casting his vote during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Voters wait in line outside a polling center to cast their ballots during the national parliamentary elections in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Bangladeshi people stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
An army official announces to the voters to maintain discipline in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Bangladeshi women stand in queue to cast their votes in a polling station during national parliamentary election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
People ride on three wheelers on a street ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Security personnel arrive to collect ballot boxes and voting materials at a distribution centre ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
An official stands near ballot boxes and voting papers before its distribution to various polling centers ahead of Thursday's national parliamentary election, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
