site.btaUPDATED Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - DRF to Back Cabinet Formed on GERB-UDF Mandate

The Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - DRF parliamentary group will back a cabinet of GERB-UDF, BSP - United Left and There Is Such a People (TISP) when it is put to the vote in the National Assembly, the press office of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms led by Ahmed Dogan said on Tuesday night.

The leaderships of the three negotiating teams and of Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - DRF reached agreement to this effect at their final meeting.

Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - DRF will state its support by signing an Annex as part of a Parliamentary Majority Agreement on the implementation of a governance programme by GERB-UDF, BSP - United Left and TISP.

Earlier on Tuesday, GERB's Rosen Zhelyazkov, who will receive the cabinet-forming mandate, told reporters: "Whether we will bring with us a file with [the ministers'] names depends on the way negotiations with Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - DRF will continue and end today." He said the cabinet line-up had been agreed.

On January 15, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will hand GERB-UDF as the largest parliamentary group in the 51st National Assembly a mandate to form a cabinet, Radev's Press Secretariat said on Monday.

Under the Constitution, the President mandates the largest parliamentary group to form a government. If the group fails to do so, he mandates the second largest one. If it also fails, the third exploratory mandate goes to a parliamentary group chosen by the President. Failure to form a regular government under the third mandate results in snap parliamentary elections.

Since the latest early parliamentary elections on October 27, 2024, the country has been run by a caretaker cabinet headed by Dimitar Glavchev.

GERB-UDF, which garnered most votes in the polls and was allocated the largest number of legislative seats, has been engaged in negotiations with three other parliamentary entities: Democratic Bulgaria (DB), BSP-United Left and TISP.

Earlier in January, the talks with DB were discontinued and went on with the two other parliamentary groups. The three combined, however, do not hold the 121-majority required to vote a cabinet into office, so they sought support from the Democracy, Rights and Freedoms - DRF parliamentary group.