Negotiations to form a government in Bulgaria have failed, with the leading center-right party GERB announcing the end of discussions due to disagreements over the prime ministerial candidate.
Talks involving GERB, “Democratic Bulgaria,” the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), and “There Is Such a People” lasted two weeks but ultimately stalled.
“An agreement with ‘Democratic Bulgaria’ on the composition of the future government and the name of the prime ministerial candidate was not reached. This became clear at today’s meeting of negotiation teams,” GERB stated.
The impasse reportedly arose from “Democratic Bulgaria’s” refusal to support Rosen Zhelyazkov as the proposed prime minister. Zhelyazkov has been a close associate of GERB’s former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov for nearly two decades.
“After ‘Democratic Bulgaria’ rejected GERB’s initial nomination of Boyko Borissov for the prime ministerial post, GERB proposed Rosen Zhelyazkov. Today, ‘Democratic Bulgaria’ rejected the second nomination as well. As a result, GERB is ending the negotiations,” GERB announced.
GERB’s statement hinted that Bulgaria might face its eighth parliamentary election in four years, given that no other party has the parliamentary majority to form a government without GERB’s involvement.
“Democratic Bulgaria,” however, disputed GERB’s narrative, asserting that the draft coalition agreement had reached an advanced stage. The party emphasized the need for a non-partisan prime minister, a condition GERB did not accept.
“For ‘Democratic Bulgaria,’ the issue of the prime ministerial candidate and the government’s composition has always been a precondition for concluding the deal and holding leadership meetings. We reiterated this position at today’s meeting, along with our stance that the prime minister must be a neutral, mutually acceptable figure,” the party stated.
