The President to hand cabinet-forming mandate to second parliamentary force

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev will today hand a mandate to form a government to the prime ministerial nominee designated by the second-largest parliamentary group in the 51st National Assembly. This is the coalition We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (PP–DB). PP–DB have already announced that they will immediately return the mandate unfulfilled.

Under the Constitution, the president may make three attempts to form a government: the first two mandates are given to the first- and second-largest parliamentary forces, while the third is granted to a parliamentary force at the discretion of the head of state. The largest parliamentary group, GERB–SDS, as expected, returned its mandate upon receipt.

This situation followed the resignation of the cabinet led by Rosen Zhelyazkov. The resignation was prompted by large-scale protests across the country at the end of last year after the government proposed a budget that envisaged increases in certain taxes and a lack of reforms.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova
English version: R. Petkova