site.btaMRF Co-Chair Chakarov Says Party Is Willing to Join Third Mandate Talks

Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) Co-Chair Dzhevdet Chakarov sent a written position to the media on Monday expressing the party's willingness to join talks on a third mandate to try to form a government.

The first mandate was offered to GERB-UDF but they failed to secure parliamentary support for a proposed government, and earlier on Monday Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria accepted and immediately returned the second mandate.

"If invited, we will participate in a conversation about a government with a third mandate", said Chakarov.

"We've made our stance clear: we're prepared to engage in discussions about the potential formation of a third-mandate government, if invited. This would be a principled dialogue aimed at identifying shared objectives and priorities for the country's stabilization and development, all within Bulgaria's established Euro-Atlantic orientation. However, we will not negotiate with [the nationalist party] Vazrazhdane. Unfortunately, we think the probability of establishing a government in this Parliament under the third mandate is minimal. Nonetheless, these discussions could be advantageous for subsequent endeavours, given the similar challenges we may encounter in future snap elections, providing a valuable foundation," Chakarov said.

MRF came up runner-up in the June 9 national elections in Bulgaria but a rift in the party ranks between co-leader Delyan Peevski and Honorary Chair Ahmed Dogan, and a subsequent expulsion of 17 MPs from the parliamentary group reduced it to the fourth position. That is why the second government mandate was offered to Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria and not to MRF. The other MRF camp, of those loyal to co-leader Peevski, are adamant that new snap elections must be held without further delay.