Bulgarian Socialists Refuse to Form Interim Cabinet

Bulgarian Socialist Party leader and former Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev. Photo by BGNES

The Bulgarian Socialist Party of former PM Sergey Stanishev expectedly returned the mandate it received for the formation of an interim government on Wednesday.

On Monday, outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov also turned down the presidential mandate given to his party Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) to form an interim Cabinet.

As the Constitution requires, President Rosen Plevneliev gave the mandate to the second largest parliamentary group, BSP, on Wednesday. BSP had already declared that it would not form an interim Cabinet.

The third largest party in parliament, the ethnic Turkish Movements for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), has also reiterated that it does not intend to form an interim Cabinet.

DPS will receive the mandate on Friday.

Once the ethnic Turkish party rejects the mandate, the President will have to appoint a caretaker government, and then, with one single decree, adjourn the Parliament and schedule a new general election.

The caretaker government will be appointed by Plevneliev next week. Its term will be up to two months, with its main task being the organization of snap election. The snap election will be held no later than mid-May.

Last week, Bulgaria's Parliament approved the resignation of the GERB government amidst unprecedented since 1997 protest rallies against unbearable utility bills and wide-spread poverty that turned into a civil unrest against the political model of ruling the country.

There are strong disagreements among different groups of disgruntled people, but some of the demands that have emerged so far are: moratorium on the December 2012 utility bills, until proven legal; not adjourning the Parliament; the President appointing a program government instead of a caretaker one; drafting a Civil Participation Bill providing a 50% civil quota in all institutions; returning 51% of the shares of power utilities to the State; closing the Bulgarian Energy Holding, BEH, for draining the energy sector, summoning a Grand General Assembly, establishing a procedure to recall Members of the Parliament.

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