After the fall of the Bulgarian government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, a third and final attempt to form a new cabinet failed. The leader of the Socialist Group (BSP), Georgi Svilenski, said in Sofia today that the President’s mandate to form a government would not be fulfilled. Previous efforts by the Socialists to unite a parliamentary majority with the old coalition partners had failed.
Ten days ago, head of state Rumen Radew had tasked the socialists, who had previously been part of the government, with forming a government. According to the constitution, the president must now dissolve parliament and schedule new elections, probably in October. It would be the fourth parliamentary election in the poorest EU country since April 2021.
Four-party government in office since December
Prime Minister Kiril Petkov’s four-party government has only been in office since December 2021. She lost her parliamentary majority in June following the populist ITN left the coalition. A vote of no confidence in parliament overthrew Petkov’s cabinet on June 22.
Petkov’s party PP (“We continue the change”) had promised “zero tolerance of corruption” and reforms. Petkov will continue to run government affairs on an interim basis until President Radev appoints an interim government in view of the forthcoming elections.
