President Iotova: National Assembly Most Likely Will Be Convened Next Week Once Election Results and Names of 240 Elected MPs Officially Announced

President Iliiana Iotova on April 20 said she expects the newly elected National Assembly to be convened next week, although no specific date has yet been set.

“Most likely, the National Assembly will be convened next week, but I cannot give a precise date,” the head of state told reporters. “I have my own options, but let us wait for the official results.”

She added that she expected a government to be formed with the first mandate.

“Once a majority is formed in Parliament, the process of handing over government-forming mandates begins. I am absolutely convinced that a government will be formed with the first mandate,” Iotova said.

The President said she was not surprised by the election outcome and congratulated Rumen Radev.

“I congratulate every winner, but above all I want to congratulate all Bulgarian voters who believed in the power of their vote — who believed they were stronger than vote-buying, various schemes and influence trading, and made that clear on Sunday,” she said.

Commenting on the organisation of the elections, Iotova linked the higher turnout to increased public confidence in the Ministry of Interior.

“I attribute the turnout to the fact that people believed the Interior Ministry was doing its job properly. They are at the beginning of tackling schemes built up over decades, but people believed that Bulgaria can have normal, transparent and well-organised elections. That, in my view, was also a reason for people to go out and vote,” she said, extending her congratulations to the ministry’s leadership.

On allegations of vote-buying reported by the Interior Ministry, Iotova said responsibility now lay with prosecutors.

“From here on, the Prosecutor’s Office must do its job. The ball is in the court of the Bulgarian Prosecutor's Office. I believe that from here on we will be talking about a state governed by the rule of law,” she said.

Iotova also commented on the performance of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP):

“The results do not surprise me, but that does not spare me a deep sense of disappointment.”