The leader of Bulgaria's center-right GERB party, coming off a narrow victory in snap parliamentary elections, has invited all other parties that gained seats in parliament to join talks on forming a government.
Former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said on April 5 that there would be "no dividing lines" as his party attempts to forge a government following the country's fifth inconclusive parliamentary poll in two years.
Borisov told journalists that the most stable government would include GERB, which won 26.5 percent of the vote in the April 2 election, and the second-place finisher, the pro-European We Continue the Change -- Democratic Bulgaria coalition, which took 24.5 percent.*
Borisov said that GERB's "natural partners" would support Ukraine in its ongoing war against invading Russian forces, as well as Bulgaria's efforts to join the eurozone and Europe's Schengen passport-free travel zone.
However, Borisov said he would not rule out talks with any of the six political bodies that will enter the next parliament, including the far-right, pro-Russian Revival Party that advocates for Bulgaria to leave both NATO and the EU. Revival finished third in the elections, with 14.15 percent of the vote.
We Continue the Change -- Democratic Bulgaria has already said it would not support a government that includes GERB, which through its victory earned the first chance to form a government.
Borisov said GERB will only discuss policies with parties that participate in a government, adding that without a regular cabinet there will be no state budget.
Facing lengthy and difficult discussions, Borisov stressed the importance of forming a new government "whatever the cost for the parties." Otherwise, he said, "new elections mean more of the same."
Rounding out the parties entering the new parliament are the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, a center-right party representing ethnic Turks and other Muslims; the Bulgarian Socialist Party; and the populist There Is Such a People party.
Bulgaria has been governed mainly by caretaker governments appointed by President Rumen Radev since public anger over years of corruption boiled over into massive protests in 2020. In February, Radev dissolved parliament and announced the April 2 vote.
In June, the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov fell after a no-confidence vote in parliament after only six months in power.
Petkov and his fragile coalition took over in December 2021 following eight months of political impasse and two interim administrations after protests against high-level corruption ended the decade-long rule of former Prime Minister Borisov.
The political crisis has prompted Bulgaria to postpone adopting the euro by one year to 2025.
The Balkan country of around 6.5 million* is also struggling with rampant inflation that is hampering an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.