Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has reappointed caretaker premier Stefan Yanev to lead an interim government. 

He will hold the position until the country holds its third set of parliamentary elections this year on November 14, following inconclusive votes in April and July.

The new interim government is expected to submit a national plan to Brussels to tap hefty European Union (EU) coronavirus recovery funds and help the country cope with an upsurge in new infections – as well as the possible arrival of migrants from Afghanistan.

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The EU's poorest member state has been struggling to form a regular government after voting out former center-right prime minister Boyko Borissov following almost a decade of political dominance.

Public anger over widespread corruption helped defeat Borissov, but wrangling and rivalry have prevented his political opponents from forging a government with a majority in parliament.

Radev, who is running for re-election as president in a vote which will also be held on November 14, re-appointed Yanev and all but three of the interim ministers who took office in May after the April vote.

"You have already proven that you have the stamina to face a difficult legacy and work for the future of Bulgaria," Radev, a harsh critic of Borissov, said at an inauguration ceremony for Yanev.

Government tries to boost vaccine take up

During Yanev's first interim stint, the new administration claimed that Borissov's government spent billions of taxpayer money on infrastructure projects without proper procurement, among other shortcomings.

It also pushed through a revision of the state budget to provide support for businesses and pensioners amid a fourth wave of the pandemic. But it has failed to significantly boost vaccinations against the virus, and the country has the lowest inoculation rate in the bloc.

Two of its most popular members, Economy Minister Kiril Petkov and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev, will not be part of the new administration as the two will be launching their own political faction to drive change ahead of the November polls.

Radev appointed Valery Beltchev, a Harvard University graduate with a long track record in banking and public finance, as interim finance minister.