Sofia (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Bulgaria’s parliament ratified a cabinet headed by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. It ended months of discussions on the creation of a government.
Rosen Zhelyazkov was proposed as PM-designate by the GERB-SDS group. He acquired a mandate from President Rumen Radev a day earlier to create a government. As reported by Reuters. Around 125 lawmakers in the 240-seat legislature authorised Zhelyazkov’s presented cabinet. It opened the path for a new government to take office.
A moment before becoming the prime minister, Zhelyazkov told the parliament,
“Bulgaria needs a regular government that will implement policies supporting the democratic rule of law, the competitiveness of the economy, security, and protecting citizens’ social rights.”
What were the difficulties GERB had in forming a government?
The centre-right GERB party won the elections held on October 27, 2024. It secured 26.4% of the vote. It got 69 seats out of 240 in the National Assembly. The seventh parliamentary election in four years reflected extreme political instability in the country.
Although GERB won the elections, they faced the problem of establishing a government as parliament was split. It took them more than two months of non-stop talks with other political forces to possibly build a stable government that could solve at least some of the country’s burning issues: recovery from the economic crisis and efforts of integration into the EU. The GERB party said that it would seek only a government formation under the first mandate conferred on the largest party, as the constitution obliges.