Bulgarian President Rumen Radev entrusted on Monday the mandate to form a government to Nikola Denkov, a politician from a coalition consisting of the liberal Continue Change (PP) and Democratic Bulgaria (DB), an alliance of the former prime minister, ousted by speaking of no confidence in Kyril Petkov, and took second place in early elections on April 2, which were the fifth parliamentary elections in Bulgaria in the last five years.

Mykola DenkovPhoto: Valentina Petrova / AP / Profimedia

In order to overcome the permanent political crisis and avoid a new round of anticipated elections, the conservative alliance that won the last election, formed by the GERB group of former Prime Minister Boyko Borysov and the Union of Democratic Forces (SDS), agreed with the PP-DB Alliance to rotate the government. in which the premiers rotate every nine months.

Thus, Mykola Denkov will be appointed prime minister and replaced in this position after nine months by Maria Gabriel, a representative of the GERB-SDS alliance, who will hold the position of vice prime minister in the first part of the rotation and has resigned for this purpose. from the post of European Commissioner.

But on Saturday, Maria Gabriel announced that GERB was suspending negotiations on the future government after the leaked recording of a meeting of the leadership of the Continuamu Chimbaarea (PP) party, in which those present said, among other things: that as soon as they return to power, all the heads of the secret services will change , appointed by President Radev and Borisov when he was Prime Minister.

The PP-DB alliance won 24.6% of the vote in the April 2 special parliamentary elections, compared to 26.5% for the GERB-SDS alliance. Prime Minister-designate Nikolay Denkov now has 7 days, until June 5, to propose a government or return the mandate if he cannot form a majority, EFE and Agerpres report.

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