Consultations on forming an interim government in Bulgaria
The consultations to form an interim government in Bulgaria concluded on August 9th, with no agreement on a candidate for caretaker prime minister. President Rumen Radev met with representatives of all parliamentary groups to discuss the matter.
Key points from the meeting:
GERB: Leader Boyko Borisov sent his people to the meeting out of respect for the president, but expressed no support for any candidate.
PP-DB: Former prime minister Nikolay Denkov advised Radev not to appoint Kalin Stoyanov as acting prime minister.
Vazrazhdane: Party leader Kostadin Kostadinov criticized the process and argued that the president has limited options for choosing a caretaker prime minister.
DPS: Leader Delyan Peevski was not mentioned by name, but the party expressed concern about the lack of clarity surrounding his potential appointment.
BSP: The party called for the nomination of a candidate for European Commissioner by August 30th.
Radev: He confirmed that there are other potential candidates for caretaker prime minister besides Dimitar Glavchev. He expressed confidence that Bulgaria can catch up with its EU recovery plan.
Possible next steps:
The president will consider the possibility of holding early elections on October 20th.
The official cabinet will need to take an oath before the deputies on August 20th, if elections are not held.
* The president advised the parties to change their campaign rhetoric and focus on finding common ground.