President Radev begins political consultations before handing government-formation mandate

President Rumen Radev started consultations with the party ITN (There Is Such a People) before handing a mandate for the formation of a government.

“Let us leave the idea of early elections behind. Let us exhaust all options,” the President said.
“We understand that the responsibility is ours as winners of the parliamentary elections. We are aware that we must try to form a cabinet,” Toshko Yordanov from ITN replied. “On the other hand we are hoping that the remaining political parties, and I exclude GERB, will also look beyond some of their own party objectives.”
“We shall nominate a cabinet,” Yordanov promised and added that the option of holding snap elections for a third time will come to pass if the other parties take a narrow-party line.
“As a first step we shall accept ITN’s invitation for talks tomorrow when we shall see what they are going to propose,” BSP for Bulgaria leader Korneliya Ninova told reporters. During the consultations with the President, she stated that if the first and the second mandate fall through, and if the President chooses to hand the BSP the third mandate, then they will try to form a government.
Hristo Ivanov, leader of the Democratic Bulgaria parliamentary group stated, during the coalitions’ consultations with President Radev, that Democratic Bulgaria was ready to contribute to the formation of a regular government, but that it will not do so at any cost.
At a meeting with the President, MRF leader Mustafa Karadayi called for the restoration of normalcy in politics, saying dialogue was needed. "It is of historical importance at the moment to form a government with clear priorities and deadlines for implementation. What is more important is the program that will be implemented," Karadayi said. /BGNES