Center-right coalition tapped to form Bulgarian government

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Monday tapped the largest group in parliament, the center-right GERB-UDF coalition, to form the country’s new government.

Accepting the mandate, prime-minister-designate Nikolay Gabrovski said he will propose a cabinet “that is farther from political talk, from confrontation and closer to professionalism”, and able to deal with the multiple crises the country is facing now.

The 51-year-old neurosurgeon has seven days to nominate a cabinet, which needs to be approved by a majority in parliament.

The GERB-UDF coalition made a comeback in the October elections but only has 67 legislators in the 240-seat National Assembly. The coalition picked Gabrovski to lead efforts to cobble together a new government over its leader, Boyko Borissov, who headed three governments between 2009 and early 2021. Borissov’s reputation waned following allegations of corruption, links to oligarchs and suppression of media freedoms, which sparked protests.

Analysts say the choice of a non-partisan candidate is an attempt by Borissov’s party to show flexibility and readiness for dialogue with potential partners to form a government. But chances of a GERB-led government are slim because the party lacks allies to obtain a majority in parliament.

If the first party fails to form a government, the president must give the mandate to the second-largest political party in parliament and to the third largest after that if there’s not result.

Because of a deeply divided parliament, analysts believe it’s extremely difficult to form a viable coalition, but don’t exclude the possibility of another election – the fifth in two years.