Shortly after Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on July 1 asked the center-right GERB-SDS coalition to form a new government, the party submitted its proposal for a minority cabinet headed by former parliament speaker Rosen Zhelyazkov.
The proposed cabinet, which is dominated by former GERB ministers and representatives of the current caretaker government, will be submitted to parliament for consideration. A simple majority is needed to accept the proposal.
"This is a government that can share responsibility and a government in which GERB and SDS are fully responsible," said GERB leader and former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
GERB won 68 mandates in the 240-seat legislature in the June 9 elections, the country's sixth vote in the past three years. The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) party, which holds 46 mandates in parliament, has said it would vote in favor of the proposed government.
Borisov urged the relatively new We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition, which holds 39 seats and which was GERB's partner in the coalition government that collapsed in March, to support the proposed government.
In comments on July 1, both Borisov and Zhelyazkov stressed the proposed government might be short-lived and would be focused on immediate issues, particularly passing a budget.
"We are not currently talking about a management program for four years," Zhelyazkov said. "We are talking about concrete policies that can calm the political conversation."
"The most important thing is the stabilization of public finances and steadfastness in our European perspective," he continued.
Following elections in April 2023, Bulgaria had a joint government supported by the pro-West, reformist PP-DB and GERB. They had agreed on an 18-month government with a rotation of prime ministers: first Nikolay Denkov from PP-DB and, after nine months, Maria Gabriel from GERB.
Denkov stepped down on March 5 to let GERB lead the government for the following nine months, as agreed. But Gabriel failed to form a government, and on March 27 Denkov also rejected Radev's invitation to try to put together a cabinet.
After the populist There Is Such a People (ITN) party refused an invitation to try to form a government, the stage was set for the June 9 vote.
A caretaker government led by Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev was sworn in on April 9 after being appointed by Radev.