In Bulgaria

Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB, expressed his hope that the recent judicial reform was implemented correctly as the Constitutional Court is set to rule on two appeals against last year's constitutional changes.

President Rumen Radev will hand over the second exploratory mandate for the formation of a regular government next week, he said here on Friday. 

Expected to receive the mandate is the prime minister-designate of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria as the second biggest parliamentary group at the moment.  

"We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) remains divided on whether to propose a cabinet should it receive a third exploratory mandate from the president, reported BNR from sources within the coalition. Following a meeting of the parliamentary group yesterday, no consensus was reached, prompting leaders to convene today at the Chairman's Council for further deliberations.

GERB and DPS are seven votes short of forming a regular government. Tomorrow, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will decide whether to support the first mandate at a party executive bureau meeting, OFFNews reported.

President Rumen Radev will hand over a mandate to form a government to the largest parliamentary group, GERB, on July 1, 2024, at 9:00 a.m., as per Article 99, paragraph 1 of Bulgaria's Constitution. This decision marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing efforts to establish a new cabinet within the 50th National Assembly, according to an announcement from the president's press center.

Update: President Rumen Radev, after anticipating his official designation as leader of Bulgaria's delegation to the upcoming NATO summit in July, has declined the role due to disagreements with certain state positions adopted by the Council of Ministers, which shapes the country's foreign policy as per the constitution.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) has urged President Rumen Radev to intervene as a mediator in the ongoing government formation discussions, emphasizing that elections should be viewed as a last resort rather than a solution.

Government consultations with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev began today, starting with the parliamentary group of the GERB party. President Radev emphasized GERB's responsibility as the largest political force to seek a majority and form a government.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has announced the mandates for the parliamentary parties in the 50th National Assembly of Bulgaria. GERB will have the most deputies, with a total of 68. The second-largest parliamentary group will be the DPS with 47 deputies, followed by "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) with 39.

GERB-SDS wins the early parliamentary vote, as well as the European elections. PP-DB, DPS and Vazrazhdane are in a contested battle for second place. This is indicated by the results of the exit polls of the sociological agencies "Gallup" and "Trend" at 7:00 p.m., conducted and financed by order of NOVA.

The 50th National Assembly will most likely have deputies from six parties.