President Radev Holds Consultations on Forming a New Government, Meets 'Vazrazhdane'

“There is no need for special overtures or lengthy explanations for you about how complex the socio-economic and political situation in the country is — you see it every day, both on the streets and in Parliament. Share your views: is there still any life left in the 51st National Assembly in the form of a new governing configuration? Would you work towards such an option, or is your position that the country should move directly to early parliamentary elections? And if we do go to early elections, is there a need to amend the Electoral Code in order to increase transparency, fairness and trust in the electoral process, against the backdrop of the Constitutional Court’s findings on a number of organisational and procedural problems that emerged during the most recent parliamentary elections?” President Rumen Radev said during consultations with Vazrazhdane ahead of the handing over of a mandate to form a government.

President Radev also asked whether Vazrazhdane saw any problems with the proposed extended budget law, in light of the new financial and economic situation that awaits us from the beginning of next year.

“The state is in a difficult situation — for us, it is a crisis. There is no point in wasting any more of the Bulgarian people’s time. The sooner new elections are held, the better. But that depends entirely on you, because you are the person who will determine the date through the pace of the consultations and the handing out of mandates. Elections in March are entirely achievable, because this National Assembly is politically dead, has absolutely no legitimacy, and has been illegal from the very beginning,” said Kostadin Kostadinov.

During the second round of consultations with the President, Vazrazhdane and MRF– New Beginning were next in line.

According to Kostadin Kostadinov, there is also a very serious problem with the budget.

“That is why we sent you a letter calling for the convening of the Consultative Council on National Security, but you did not respond. In our view, such a council should be convened. The 2025 budget has collapsed — it has not been implemented. Our country is being pushed forcibly into the eurozone, which is illegal and illegitimate,” Kostadin Kostadinov said.

Photos by Dessislava Kulelieva, BNT

He stressed that “nothing will happen in this parliament — there will be no new government within this parliament”.

“I do not know what you expect from such a Consultative Council. I expect a council in which the majority consists of the government and political parties that have already declared and abdicated responsibility, seeking to shift it onto people like you, and even onto me, despite the fact that I have nothing to do with the executive branch. The outcome of such a council is clear — it would be a waste of time. You, like the other political parties, want to turn these consultations into a platform for pre-election campaigning. We have a problem with the honesty and transparency of the elections,” President Rumen Radev commented.

Kostadin Kostadinov once again called for the preservation of the Bulgarian lev. “Our position on a referendum is clear and categorical. No country has entered the eurozone in this way, and this should be used as grounds for postponement,” Kostadinov added.