Bulgarian president expected to dissolve parliament

PanARMENIAN.Net - Bulgaria's President Rosen Plevneliev is expected to dissolve parliament and name a caretaker cabinet, following weeks without a government, BBC News reported.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov resigned last month following persistent street protests against high energy bills, poverty and corruption.

The president has had major problems trying to fill the power vacuum, with parties refusing to form a government. Protesters have threatened to surround parliament and stop MPs leaving.

President Plevneliev has not announced who will make up the new cabinet - he is expected to pick mostly non-partisan, technocrat ministers.

"I wish we could work like [Prime Minister Mario] Monti did in Italy," he told Austrian newspaper Der Standard, referring to the reforms brought in under Mr Monti's technocratic government.

Early elections are expected in May.

Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 but is its poorest member. Bulgarians hoped EU membership would see prosperity rising. But a quarter of the country's population still lives below the poverty line, with incomes half that of the European average.

Anger has also grown with the government for a perceived failure to tackle cronyism and corruption. The final straw for many was the winter electricity bills that for some spiraled beyond the monthly wage.

The death of at least two protesters by self-immolation has fuelled public anger.

After more than a week of protests former Prime Minister Borisov tried to calm the protests by promising to slash electricity prices and by sacking his finance minister. But he quit after protests continued and turned violent.