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E-mail Xinhua, March 28, 2024
SOFIA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The second-largest group in Bulgaria's parliament, We Continue the Change -- Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition, failed to form a government, following the suit of the largest parliamentary group, the GERB-UDF coalition.
The party, whose coalition holds 63 seats in the 240-member parliament, announced on Wednesday that they would return the exploratory mandate for forming a government unfulfilled. PP-DB's prime minister nominee Nikolai Denkov has declined the proposal offered by President Rumen Radev, due to a lack of support from the GERB-UDF coalition.
The need for a new government arose after Denkov resigned on March 5, adhering to a power-sharing agreement established between PP-DB and GERB-UDF when his government was elected in June 2023.
According to the deal, Denkov was to serve as prime minister for nine months, followed by GERB-UDF's representative Gabriel, who has been deputy prime minister and foreign minister in Denkov's cabinet, for another nine months. Additionally, ministerial changes could only be made with mutual consent of the two coalitions.
Following the Bulgarian Constitution, Radev first entrusted the task of forming a new government to the 69-seat GERB-UDF on March 18 but its prime minister nominee Mariya Gabriel withdrew her candidacy on March 25, citing failed negotiations on the cabinet composition with PP-DB to achieve a parliamentary majority. The situation pushed the president to appoint a prime minister-designate nominated by PP-DB.
Since the largest and second-largest parliamentary coalitions both failed to form a government, the president now has to assign the responsibility to a prime minister-designate nominated by a minor parliamentary faction. However, the GERB-UDF and PP-DB have said that they would not participate in further talks to form a government in this parliament elected in April 2023.
Should no agreement on a government be reached, the president shall appoint a caretaker government and schedule new elections. Enditem
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