SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s largest political grouping, the anti-elite There Is Such a People (ITN), on Friday proposed a minority government to lead the Balkan country, although doubts remain whether it would forge enough support in the parliament for its approval.
The ITN narrowly won a July 11 election, bolstered by public anger against rampant corruption in the European Union’s poorest member state, putting an end to over a decade of political dominance by former centre-right premier Boyko Borissov.
With just 65 seats in the 240-member parliament ITN would need the backing of other parties to muster a majority. It has sought the support of two small anti-graft parties, which it sees as allies, but has refused to sign any political agreement with them or give them any say on ministerial posts.
For the time being, only the Socialists have indicated they may support an ITN minority government.
On Friday, Prime Minister-designate Plamen Nikolov, 44, a little known business manager with limited political experience, handed President Rumen Radev his proposal for a government that has to be put to vote in the parliament, most likely on Wednesday.
“I hope that you are continuing, in an open and constructive dialogue with your partners in the parliament, to seek the necessary parliamentary support, united by common goals and priorities,” Radev said before taking in the mandate.
ITN has pledged to reform the judiciary and combat corruption, but ITN’s unwillingness for a coalition or debate on ministers has raised doubts among the two small anti-graft parties whether its cabinet would be able to deliver.
A failure to win support for an ITN government would significantly increase the prospects for new, third national election this year and hamper Bulgaria’s ability to tackle an expected new upsurge in the COVID pandemic or tap on European Union’s hefty coronavirus Recovery Fund.
(Reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
