site.btaUPDATED Third Government-Forming Mandate Goes to There Is Such a People

President Rumen Radev Monday will present the third exploratory mandate for forming a government to representatives of There Is Such a People on Monday at 12 p.m., the Presidency press service reported on Sunday evening. The announcement comes after the first two mandates were returned unfulfilled by the two largest parliamentary represented earlier July.

The first and the second mandate are bound by Constitution to go to the two largest parliamentary groups, while the third exploratory government-forming mandate gets handed over by the President to a parliamentary party of their choice.

After the largest coalition in Parliament, GERB-UDF, received the first mandate, Bulgaria's Parliament Wednesday denied approval to Prime Minister-designate Rosen Zhelyazkov on July 3, thus practically terminating the constitutional procedure for the formation of a cabinet on the first mandate.

The second mandate was expected to go to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), however, MRF Honorary Chair Ahmed Dogan called for the resignation of one of the party’s two chairpersons, Delyan Peevski, which led to the parliamentary group deciding to expel 17 of its MPs on July 11, including the other chairperson, Dzhevdet Chakarov.

With the MRF having 17 fewer MPs in Parliament, it was no longer the second largest parliamentary group but trailing behind Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB).

President Radev presented the second exploratory mandate for forming a government to CC-DB representatives on July 22, and they returned it unfulfilled immediately.