Foreign Minister Gabriel of center-right party asked to form next Bulgarian government within 7 days

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Monday asked Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel of the center-right Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party to form a government following Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov's resignation earlier this month.

"I accept this task with responsibility. Bulgaria needs a stable government with shared responsibility," Gabriel, who has been nominated as the next prime minister for the next nine months, told the media in the capital Sofia.

Garbiel's GERB, the largest parliamentary party, has been given seven days to form her Cabinet.

However, she requested more time to form the government following consultations with her coalition partner, the We Continue the Change (PP-DB) party.

In the Cabinet draft submitted by the two coalition partners, the GERB would have six ministers and the PP-DB would have 11.

According to this draft, Gabriel will be both prime minister and foreign minister, with Denkov serving as deputy prime minister for European affairs.

Gabriel served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs in Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov's government, who handed in his resignation to the president on March 5.

- Government rotation formula

The coalition government of the GERB and PP-DB on June 6, 2023, decided to have prime ministers from each other parties for a nine-month period.

According to the rotation agreement, Denkov after resigning on March 5 is expected to formally hand over responsibilities of prime minister to Gabriel for a new 9-month term in the coming week.

It is reported that consultations between the coalition partners that have been going on behind closed doors for the new government have been tense in recent days.

Gabriel was the only minister representing the GERB party in the Denkov government.

If the consultations fail, early elections may be held in Bulgaria again.