Activity as Prime Minister (2022-2023)
Donev was officially appointed as Caretaker Prime Minister on the 1st of August, by President Rumen Radev, after all attempts at government formation failed after the successful fall of the Petkov Government in June 2022.
During the official ceremony for the appointment, Donev outlined the main priorities of the incoming caretaker government: the organization of fair elections; restoring trust in institutions; finding pathways out of "inherited crises"; reducing political polarization and continued work on implementing laws to do with the European Plan for Recovery and Stability.[14]
During the official handover ceremony with outgoing PM Kiril Petkov, Donev urged the incoming Caretaker Ministers to "dedicate 100% of their energy to finding creative solutions for Bulgarian citizens".[15]
On the 3d of August, one day after the appointment of the cabinet, Donev announced the formation of a Crisis-Management Team, headed by the Vice-Minister for the Economy, Hristo Aleksiev, to tackle issues with the supply of energy to the country.[16]
On the 4th of August, Donev chaired the first regular meeting of the Cabinet, during which he announced that the government was developing a plan to financially stabilise the primary Bulgarian energy supplier, Bulgargaz, and did not need "consultations".[17]
On the 11th of August, Donev announced that Bulgargaz would receive an 800 million Leva loan to insure the security of gas deliveries throughout the winter months.[18]
During the National Consultation of the Ministry of Interior, on August 12, Galab Donev stated that "the state has declared war on the controlled and bought vote", and outlined the two main priorities of the Ministry of Interior as insuring fair elections and reducing road-related crime.[19]
After the traffic disaster on the highway "Trakiya", Donev expressed the view that the Ministry of Interior must "do more" to prevent traffic incidents in the future.[20]
On the 26th of August, after the death of two police officers in clashes with human traffickers near the border with Turkey, Donev expressed his condolences with their families and promised a "swift response" to the recent increased migration pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border.[21]
His role as caretaker prime minister ended in June 6th, 2023 when the National Assembly decided to vote on a proposal to authorize a cabinet headed by Nikolai Denkov.[22]