site.btaSocialists Decline President's Mandate to Form Cabinet within Incumbent Parliament

Socialists Decline President's Mandate to Form Cabinet within Incumbent Parliament

Sofia, December 7 (BTA) - Asked by President Rosen Plevneliev on Wednesday to form a cabinet within the incumbent 43rd National Assembly, BSP-Left Bulgaria immediately declined the mandate. The Socialists are the second largest parliamentary group who were handed an exploratory mandate, after the largest parliamentary party, GERB, also declined to do so on December 2.

The Boyko Borissov Cabinet resigned on November 17.

The Socialists' position is that the present Parliament has depleted its potential and early elections must be held, which they want to take place on March 26, 2017.

On Friday, President Plevneliev said on National Television that he will most probably hand his third and last cabinet-forming mandate to the Reformist Bloc. In his words, this is "the logical choice" as he cannot possibly mandate political forces which would call into question Bulgaria's European development and NATO membership and would be unable to convince him that the orientation for which he had worked in the course of five years would be preserved. He was apparently referring to the Patriotic Front.

If the third attempt to form a cabinet fails as well, the head of State will have to appoint a caretaker cabinet.