Bulgarian President to hand GERB-UDF mandate to seek to form a government on January 15
Bulgarian head of state President Roumen Radev will on January 15 hand Boiko Borissov’s GERB-UDF coalition the first mandate to seek to get a government elected, the Presidency said on January 13.
The constitution entitles the largest parliamentary group to be the first to receive a mandate.
Bulgaria’s October 2024 early elections saw GERB-UDF winning the largest share of seats in the 51st National Assembly.
After prolonged dilly-dallying by MPs over the election of a Speaker of the National Assembly, GERB-UDF embarked on talks with the Bulgarian Socialist Party – United Left, ITN and the Democratic Bulgaria component of the We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group.
On January 5, GERB-UDF said that it was terminating negotiations, but resumed them on January 8, without Democratic Bulgaria.
GERB-UDF is set to nominate former Speaker Rossen Zhelyazkov to be the candidate Prime Minister, with the larger share of Cabinet seats going to GERB-UDF, smaller shares for the BSP – United Left and ITN, and each group participating in the deal getting a Deputy Prime Minister.
Negotiations have intensified in recent days, while Radev had given parties additional time to produce fruitful negotiations and reduce the risk of sending Bulgaria to yet another early parliamentary election in the event of Parliament failing to elect a government.
At the weekend, the BSP national council mandated its parliamentary group to sign a governance agreement with GERB-UDF.
Expectations have been that the Ahmed Dogan loyalists of the Democracy, Rights and Freedoms parliamentary group would agree to supply the votes to ensure the proposed government would be elected, but there was reported to be an 11th-hour hiccough when DRF asked to be given deputy ministerial and district government posts.
This was a change from initial concept, that DRF would be represented in the coalition council with GERB-UDF, BSP – United Left and ITN, without getting government posts.
On receiving the mandate from Radev, Zhelyazkov and GERB-UDF will have seven days – as set in the constitution – to either return with a proposed government for Radev to table for a vote in Parliament, or return the mandate unfulfilled.
(Photo, of the Cabinet office, the Party House – current seat of Parliament – and the Presidency building: Clive Leviev-Sawyer)
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