Bulgarian political crisis

President Rumen Radev expressed his concerns about the limited options available for selecting a caretaker prime minister, highlighting the challenges in the appointment process. The President's remarks came amid discussions to appoint a caretaker government and schedule new elections within two months, as mandated by Article 99 of the Constitution.

Bulgaria's populist There Is Such a People (ITN) party has declined to try to form a new national government, paving the way for President Rumen Radev to call snap elections.

ITN's move came after the center-right GERB party and its former coalition partner We Continue the Change (PP) both said they could not form a new government.

The President handed "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) the second mandate to form a government.

Today, "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) proposed the implementation of the second mandate with a prime minister from GERB, along with signing an agreement on reforms in the judicial system, security services, and regulators. However, Boyko Borissov's party (GERB) rejected this proposal.

Today, the Bulgarian National Assembly has voted to end the first mandate aimed at forming a government with Prime Minister candidate Mariya Gabriel. The decision, reached after only one hour of debates where representatives from GERB and DPS abstained, signals the conclusion of the initial phase of government formation efforts.

In a tense parliamentary session, Atanas Atanasov, co-chairman of "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria," delivered a new proposal to GERB, urging the party to nominate a mutually acceptable candidate for prime minister and fulfill the second mandate as a general one.

Kiril Petkov, co-chairman of "We Continue the Change," has asserted the coalition's readiness to take responsibility for navigating the second mandate to form a government. Ahead of a pivotal meeting of the "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) parliamentary group, Petkov addressed the media, outlining the coalition's stance on ongoing negotiations.

GERB is gearing up to vote on Mariya Gabriel's unsuccessful mandate following another round of failed negotiations with "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB). Deputy Chairperson Temenuzka Petkova of GERB submitted a draft resolution to parliament early this morning, seeking to terminate Gabriel's mandate to form a government.

Amidst Bulgaria's political landscape, President Rumen Radev adopts a stance of cautious anticipation as the nation navigates through complex parliamentary procedures. The President's office, in response to inquiries from BNR, clarifies that the National Assembly's deliberations on a decree proposal for Prime Minister election will precede any further executive action.

Mariya Gabriel has officially declared her withdrawal from participating in the parliamentary procedure for selecting a prime minister and proposing a government structure. The announcement was made through an application submitted to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Parliamentary Group of GERB, signaling a pivotal moment in the ongoing negotiations for government formation.