Government of Bulgaria

The executive committee of GERB will meet today to analyze the new political situation after yesterday the deputy of "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" Radostin Vassilev announced that he was leaving the group and released a recording made by him without the knowledge of his colleagues from a meeting of the leadership of "We Continue the Change".

GERB have requested that more of their ministers be included in the "Denkov" draft cabinet, in which only the name of Mariya Gabriel as the future Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs has been announced. This was confirmed by the candidate for prime minister from WCC-DB Nikolay Denkov after a question from the National Radio, specifying that they are not inclined to comply.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (R) receives a vacant mandate from Mariya Gabriel, the GERB-SDS party's candidate for Prime Minister, on 22 May 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

The GERB-SDS candidate for prime minister, Mariya Gabriel, returned the folder, with the first exploratory mandate for the formation of a cabinet, to President Rumen Radev's cabinet, empty.

Two hours before GERB-SDS prime ministerial candidate Mariya Gabriel meets with President Rumen Radev to announce whether she will propose a draft cabinet to be voted on in parliament or return the head of state's first exploratory mandate to form a government, the prosecutor's office announced that they are starting investigations based on reports against former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov a

GERB-SDS will accept experts from the Movement of Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and "There Is Such a People" (TISP) for a government, after the two formations have expressed support for an expert cabinet. This was announced on Nova TV by MP Temenuzka Petkova who confirmed that there are currently talks about its composition.

The candidate-prime minister of GERB-SDS will announce the names of the ministers in her cabinet on Monday. The structure of the Council of Ministers remains the same, announced Mariya Gabriel.

She thanked DPS and "There Is Such a People" for their support and called on all those who want constitutional reform to stand behind the first mandate.

Prime Minister nominee Mariya Gabriel stated in the National Assembly that she will fulfill the first exploratory mandate and return the folder with the structure and composition of the government to the head of state on Monday.

Rumen Radev (right) and Mariya Gabriel, the GERB-SDS party's candidate for prime minister, at a ceremony to hand over the mandate to form a new government in Sofia on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE/VASSIL DONEV

President Rumen Radev handed the first exploratory mandate to form a GERB-SDS government to the candidate for Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel.

After receiving the folder, Mariya Gabriel announced that she would do everything in her power in order for Bulgaria to have a working government - an expert cabinet with a clear program and goals.