Breaking Talks: GERB-SDS Halts Government Formation Talks; BSP Deputy Chairman Comments
In a sudden turn of events, Elections 20XX: Which Political Parties Spent the Most on Advertising?"</p>”>GERB-SDS has announced it is ceasing talks to form a new government, with Boll بلغ BSP Deputy Chairman Mladen Genov offering his insights to journalists on the development.
"Beginning Tuesday, we start working on parliamentary rules – establishing committees, holding meetings," Genov said, when asked about the return of the mandate. "Whether the envelope (containing the mandate) will be returned immediately, that’s a decision for the largest party and the mandate-holder – GERB."
Pressed on whether the country was headed for fresh elections, Genov stated, "I don’t see another likelihood, given that GERB, as the leading party in the talks, has decided to stop them." He added that "Democratic Bulgaria" (DB) had not accepted the candidacy of Rossen Jeliazkov for Prime Minister, which, in his view, contributed to GERB’s decision to halt negotiations.
Over the past days, negotiation teams from GERB-SDS, DB, BSP-LEFT, and There Is Such a People (ITN) have been working on formulating points in the governance agreement and decision-making mechanisms. Despite progress in talks, consensus on the composition of the government and the name of the Prime Minister remained elusive.
Early today, GERB’s press center announced it was halting talks. "No agreement was reached with Democratic Bulgaria on the personnel composition of the future government and the name of the candidate for Prime Minister," read the statement. GERB thanked BSP-LEFT and ITN for their constructive approach.
Meanwhile, DB revealed it had learned from media reports that GERB had already stopped talking to them. "The [coalition] agreement is not yet completed," they noted. With talks frozen, all eyes are now on GERB to see if it will immediately return the mandate, as the largest political force and mandate-holder.
