“Time has come for reconciliation in Bulgaria”, caretaker Prime Minister Ognyan Gerdzhikov said last night in an interview for the Bulgarian National Television. He added that reconciliation is a process that should be conducted more intelligently.

The prime minister said he had some good ideas and that one of them was to back the initiative of the Bulgarian Industrial Association in support of the small and medium-sized businesses suffering under the pressure of red tape.

Ognyan Gerdzhikov also pointed to the expert profile of the caretaker government and the need for reform. “It is obvious that serious changes are needed. The healthcare system is very ailing. It forces honest doctors to resort to malpractice to survive”, he said and explained that his government had little time for reform but could at least lay the beginnings of change.

Regarding the organization of the snap parliamentary elections in March, Ognyan Gerdzhikov vowed the government would do its best for the sake of fair and democratic elections and said he trusted the caretaker interior minister charged with a key role in this process.