Roumyana Todorova, head of the state monopoly National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), said on November 2 that she had decided to resign after coming under political pressure to do so. NHIF is the state institution that manages all mandatory health care contributions paid by employeers and employees in Bulgaria.

Todorova told reporters that the new Cabinet of Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, which took office in July, has shown a lack of trust in her abilities. She said that she was subject to strong political pressure to resign.

When Todorova met Borissov in the summer, he told her that she should not worry for her position. "I was asked the question whether I wanted to work with the new Government and I said that I can work with them as long as I have their trust," Todorova said.

Things changed with the recent statement of Health Minister Bozhidar Nanev, who told private radio station Darik that Todorova had to file her resignation as part of the process of changing governments.

Todorova is the sister of Iliana Yotova, an MEP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the majority partner in the ruling tripartite coalition ousted from power in the July 2009 elections by Borissov's GERB.

"I think that this is the right thing to do," Todorova said.

Todorova's resignation was not surprising given the tension surrounding the relationship between the NHIF and the new ruling majority in Parliament, which refused to approve the fund's annual report for 2008. On October 30 2009, GERB asked Todorova and the NHIF managing board to file their resignations because of the way the fund had spent its budget.