Rumiana Jeleva was replaced as Bulgaria’s foreign minister on Wednesday night amid mounting embarrassment in Sofia over her failed candidacy as the country’s European Commissioner.
Nikolay Mladenov, defence minister, would take over the foreign affairs portfolio, a government official said.
Boyko Borissov, prime minister, had refused to accept Ms Jeleva’s resignation, which came at the same time as she withdrew her nomination for the post of humanitarian and crisis response commissioner.
His decision was reversed after a lengthy meeting on Wednesday of the parliamentary group of the governing right-of-centre GERB party.
Tsvetan Tsvetanov, deputy prime minister, said, “Ms Jeleva’s wish to leave the cabinet has been respected.”
Ms Jeleva withdrew her nomination hours before a parliamentary committee was due to vote on her candidacy.
After a weak performance at a committee hearing, she faced strong criticism from leftwingers, centrists and Greens in the European parliament over her competence for the job.
Ms Jeleva resigned as an MEP last July to join Mr Boykov’s cabinet as foreign minister.
“I am not thinking about my political future at all,” she told Bulgarian media after her resignation was accepted.
Mr Mladenov, 37, also joined the cabinet in July. His international experience includes working as a consultant to the World Bank and as an adviser on defence and foreign policy issues to the Iraqi parliament.
Bulgaria has nominated Kristalina Georgieva, an environmental economist and World Bank vice president for the European commissioner’s post.
General Anyo Angelov, defence undersecretary and commander of Bulgaria’s armed forces reserve, takes over as defence minister, a government official said.
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