Bulgaria's President to Grant Coalition Mandate for Government Formation

Bulgaria's Political Landscape and Coalition Dynamics

SOFIA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Bulgaria's president said on Friday he would offer the mandate to the centre-right GERB-SDS coalition next week to form a government, though analysts say it is unlikely to secure enough support and that a snap election is almost unavoidable.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyakov's coalition government, backed by GERB-SDS, resigned last month after weeks of street protests against state corruption and a new budget that would have hiked social security contributions and some taxes.

The resignation came shortly before Bulgaria joined the euro zone on January 1.

Recent Resignation and Political Context

President Rumen Radev said in a statement he would hand the mandate on Monday to GERB-SDS, the largest parliamentary group, but it has only 66 seats in the 240-member parliament and seems unlikely to garner enough backing to form a new government.

Under Bulgaria's constitution, Radev would then hand the mandate to the second-largest party and then to the third-largest. If no grouping can build a parliamentary majority, a snap parliamentary election follows.

The GERB-SDS coalition came first in the last election, held in October 2024, though it only took power in January 2025 after months of negotiations and required the support of other parties in the divided legislature.

Challenges Ahead for GERB-SDS Coalition

Bulgaria, the poorest member of the European Union, sorely needs political stability to speed up the uptake of EU funds into its creaking infrastructure, to encourage foreign investment and to root out endemic state corruption.

Impact on EU Relations and Stability

The Black Sea state, which is also a NATO member, has held seven parliamentary elections in the past four years.

(Reporting by Ivana SekularacEditing by Gareth Jones)