2964 | 15 Jan. 2026 | 21:35
According to Simeon Dyankov, chairman of the Fiscal Council and former finance minister, 2026 will be a year of uncertainty, as forecasted on bTV.
He believes that the country is heading towards a caretaker government, and the political moves in parliament are more of an attempt to prolong the situation rather than implement real reforms.
"The major parties have no interest in continuing this parliament. We are heading towards a caretaker government and elections with almost the same rules," commented Dyankov.
He added that Bulgaria can expect a regular budget only in the middle of the year. He also clarified that a caretaker government has the right to submit a budget, but it would be a risky move.
"We have already seen what happened when a caretaker government tried to make a budget - it was a political failure. I don't believe it will happen again," Dyankov concludes. The country will once again be operating with a continuing budget, which blocks new priorities and real policies.
The only certain measure until the middle of the year remains the 5% increase in salaries in the state administration. According to calculations by the Fiscal Council, this will cost around 420 million euros annually - an expense that was not included in last year's budget and leads to overspending. "Another half billion euros don't seem to be a problem in light of the creativity we've seen in the budgets in recent years," commented Diankov with irony.
The bill against speculation, which introduces price ceilings and maximum markups, according to him, will not have a real economic impact. Similar measures have already been implemented in Croatia with minimal results. "This is a political statement - a signal to the people that someone cares about them, but the real effect is zero," says Diankov.
According to him, although inflation is slowing down slightly - to around 5% on an annual basis, it remains twice as high as the EU average. Expectations are that it will be around 4% during the year, which is again a high level. According to Diankov, this is the result of years of temporary administrations and distribution of funds without a long-term framework.
The idea of Easter and Christmas bonuses to be enshrined in law and extended to more groups - not just pensioners, but also large families and people with disabilities - he describes as "pure populism." "Who will vote against this? Everyone will support it, but then it will have to be implemented, regardless of the state of the budget," warns Diankov.
At the final, his forecast is pessimistic - another election after the early ones and continuing political instability. "2026 will be a year of uncertainty, there will be another election. We don't want it, but that's where we're heading," summed up Simeon Diankov.
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