President to task Progressive Bulgaria to form government on May 7

President Iliana Iotova said she will hand the mandate to form a government to Progressive Bulgaria, the largest group in parliament, on May 7 at 17:00.

“I have assurances from the party that they will come forward with a completed mandate. I hope parliament will approve a government as early as the next day, May 8, so that the new cabinet can begin work from the following week,” she said.

Her remarks followed a round of separate consultations earlier in the day with all six parties in the new 52nd parliament. Progressive Bulgaria said it expects to present a cabinet by the end of the week.

Iotova said parties broadly agreed on key priorities, including drafting a 2026 budget to curb inflation, reforming the judicial system — including replacing the Supreme Judicial Council under transparent rules — and securing payments under the EU Recovery and Resilience Plan, which she said are crucial for the budget to function.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova