Right-Wing Coalition GERB-UDF to Form Government in Bulgaria

On Monday, Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev asked the coalition formed by Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) and the Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), the largest political forces in the new Parliament, to form a new government.

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Radev handed the exploratory mandate to Mariya Gabriel, the GERB-UDF's nominee for prime minister. Gabriel, who is currently the European commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth, has seven days to propose a government that needs to be approved by Parliament in a simple majority vote.

"I want to assure you that I will do everything possible within the framework of this exploratory mandate for Bulgaria to have a stable, working, regular government," said Gabriel, whose coalition has 69 seats in the 240-member Parliament.

"You realize that many obstacles are ahead of you," President Radev told Gabriel, wishing her success.

Should the largest political force fail to form a government, the president shall entrust this task to a prime minister-designate nominated by the second-largest parliamentary group.

If the prime minister fails to form a government either, the president will entrust the task to a prime minister appointed by one of the minority parliamentary groups. And if no agreement is reached on the formation of a government, the president will call new parliamentary elections.

In the April snap elections, the "We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (PP-DB) coalition won 64 seats, followed by the Revival party with 37 seats, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 36 seats, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) coalition with 23 seats, and the "There Is Such A People" (ITN) party with 11 seats.

This was Bulgaria's fifth parliamentary election in two years. Three of the previous four Parliaments had to be dissolved. A cabinet was formed after the elections held on Nov. 14, 2021, but it was ousted by a no-confidence vote in June 2022.