BSP returned the third government-forming mandate unfulfilled, President to announce snap elections date after consultations with CEC

President Rumen Radev will meet today, January 24, with the Central Election Commission to discuss the readiness for early parliamentary elections. After the talks with the CEC, the head of state will announce the date on which he will dissolve the 48th National Assembly and the date for the snap elections.

Rumen Radev has accepted the third government-forming mandate from the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) unfulfilled.

"We have done everything necessary to fulfil the third mandate. We set out four important tasks for the formation of the government as we discussed them with you - the laws on the Recovery Plan, Schengen membership, Budget 2023, judicial reform. We invited everyone to a discussion and from those who came and from those who did not come but expressed their positions, it became clear that there is no possibility of forming a cabinet," said the leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Kornelia Ninova.

The third mandate was the final opportunity for forming a cabinet within the 48th National Assembly and for the fifth time in the past two years, Bulgaria is heading towards early elections.

President Rumen Radev is expected to announce a date for the early parliamentary elections and dissolve the 48th National Assembly.

The socialists failed to gather support in Parliament after only GERB, Movement for Rights and Freedoms and "Bulgaria Ascending" particiaped in the leadership meeting BSP organised, but without guaranteeing support.

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On January 16, BSP was presented with the third and final mandate to try to form a government.

GERB-UDF, on December 5 received the first mandate following Bulgaria’s October 2 2022 early parliamentary elections. The MPs on December 14 rejected the draft cabinet proposed by GERB-UDF's nomination for Prime Minister Nikoliy Gabrovski.

The second mandate, handed to the second-largest group, “We Continue the Change”, also was returned unfulfilled.