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The GERB party won 69 seats in the October vote for the 240-member legislature, the most of any party but well short of a majority to govern alone.
Bulgaria’s president on Wednesday tasked the main centre-right party with forming a government, nearly three months after elections resulted in a deeply divided parliament.
The Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party emerged as the largest party in the 240-seat legislature in the 27 October election, securing 69 seats but falling significantly short of a majority needed to govern independently.
Prime Minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov, a former parliament speaker, presented a proposed Cabinet list for a minority coalition government and asked President Rumen Radev to forward the proposal to parliament for approval.
The party chose Zhelyazkov to lead a new government instead of its leader, Boyko Borissov, who served as prime minister in three administrations between 2009 and 2021, when his third Cabinet stepping down following significant anti-corruption protests.
Zhelyazkov, a 56-year-old lawyer, stated that his Cabinet would focus on utilising European Union funds for improving governance and strengthening state institutions.
Bulgaria, an EU member aspiring to join the eurozone, urgently needs a stable government to address inflation and ensure the continued flow of EU resources.
Zhelyazkov has confirmed that his party made “the necessary compromises”, acknowledging the ideological differences within the proposed coalition, which includes the pro-Russia Socialist Party and the populist There Is Such a People group.
The coalition holds 107 of the 240 parliamentary seats. However, the ethnic Turkish party, Democracy, Rights and Freedoms, which has 19 lawmakers, has pledged its support in the confidence vote scheduled for Thursday.
Additional sources • AP
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