President Gives GERB Mandate to Form Interim Govt
President Rosen Plevneliev will hand the ruling party GERB on Monday a mandate to form an interim government, following the resignation of prime minister Boiko Borisov's centre-right cabinet last week.
The government's resignation came after a week of street rallies across the country which started as a protest against high electricity bills but escalated into anti-government marches. A cabinet reshuffle and the prime minister's announcement that the licence of one of the energy distributors in the country will be revoked failed to ease the tension.
If GERB turn down the mandate, Plevneliev will hand it over to the second biggest part in parliament, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the president said on Friday. If they too refuse to form a government, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms will have the opportunity to do so. All big parties in parliament have said they would not take part in an interim government, which would mean that the president will have to appoint a caretaker government and call early elections.
Snap elections could be held at the end of April or mid-May, Plevneliev said last week.
Borisov's GERB party came to power in the summer of 2009 after winning general elections.