Bulgaria’s President Radev handed mandate to form a government to GERB-UDF

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on April 20 handed over a mandate to the centre-right GERB-UDF coalition to seek to form a government.

GERB-UDF won the largest share of the vote in the April 4 parliamentary elections.

As chairman of the parliamentary group, Desislava Atanasova announced the nomination of Daniel Mitov as Prime Minister.

"By a decision of our parliamentary group, Mr. Daniel Mitov has been nominated as a candidate for Prime Minister. I am enclosing the decision of the parliamentary group, as well as the documents proving that Mr. Mitov meets all the conditions to take the post," Atanasova said.

In his remarks after handing the mandate to Daniel Mitov, President Radev said that he expected a cabinet that would “govern the country effectively and lead it out of the crisis.”

Speaking to journalists shortly after the mandate-handing ceremony, Mitov said that GERB-UDF would seek support from the parliamentary groups and parties that are ideologically closest to them. “We will start with invitations to “Democratic Bulgaria”. We will invite them to formal consultations, it depends on them whether they will respond."

“We will also invite the group of "There is Such a People". We will not seek support from Bulgarian Socialist Party and Movement for Rights and Freedoms. We will not delay the procedure unnecessarily,” he added.

Earlier today, outgoing Prime Minister and GERB leader Boyko Borissov presented the line-up of Mitov’s cabinet.

The proposed cabinet is as follows:

Prime Minister: Daniel Mitov

Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of EU funds: Tomislav Donchev

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister: Rumen Hristov

Foreign Minister: Ekaterina Zaharieva

Finance Minister: Kiril Ananiev

Minister of Interior: Hristo Terziyski

Minister of Justice: Dessislava Ahladova

Minister of Health: Kostadin Angelov

Minister of Energy: Delyan Dobrev

Minister of Economy: Zhecho Stankov

Minister of Labour and Social Policy: Denitsa Sacheva

Minister of Transport: Rossen Zhelyazkov

Minister of Regional Development: Alexander Ivanov

Minister of Agriculture: Dessislava Taneva

Minister of Environment: Ivelina Vassileva

Minister of Education: Krassimir Vulchev

Minister of Tourism: Lyuben Dilov

Minister of Culture: Kalin Velyov

Minister of Sport: Krassen Kralev

“Take the mandate, we have a duty to talk it out … On Thursday (April 22), we will announce whether we have achieved something or not,” Boyko Borissov said.

Yesterday (April 19), President Rumen Radev held consultations on forming a new government with the six parties represented in Parliament.

If the mandate is returned from GERB - UDF, then the President will hand it over to the second largest political force in the new Parliament - "There is Such a People" to form a cabinet.

Yesterday, representatives of “There is Such a People” only said that they would abide by the law and reiterated that they would not enter into a coalition with GERB, BSP and MRF.