site.btaUPDATED Alliance for Rights and Freedoms Returns Third Government-Forming Mandate Unfulfilled

The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) returned the third exploratory government-forming mandate to President Rumen Radev unfulfilled, immediately after it was handed to them by the head of State on Friday. The President handed over the mandate to ARF, tasking the parliamentary group with nominating a prime minister-designate.

Returning the mandate, ARF Floor Leader Hayri Sadakov said: “Our parliamentary group authorized me to return the third exploratory mandate unfulfilled, so that through joint efforts we can move towards holding fair, transparent, free and democratic elections”.

“We returned the mandate immediately, because in this parliament no genetic modification can produce anything positive,” he added.

Sadakov said that the country’s current situation is an important factor. He noted that ARF’s responsibility towards the institution, statehood and democracy is too great to allow them to simply conduct experiments.

After Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov tendered his cabinet's resignation on December 11, 2025, President Rumen Radev launched the constitutional government-formation procedure by holding consultations with the parliamentary groups in the 51st National Assembly between December 15 and 19, announcing at the end of the talks that he would hand the first exploratory mandate after the New Year. GERB-UDF returned the first mandate immediately after receiving it on Monday, and Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria returned the second mandate unfulfilled on Wednesday.

Under the Bulgarian Constitution, when a government resigns, it continues to perform its functions until a new regular cabinet is elected or a caretaker one appointed. Should the first two attempts to form a regular government fail, a third mandate goes to a parliamentary group selected by the President. Should all three mandates be unsuccessful, the head of State must appoint a caretaker cabinet and schedule early parliamentary elections within two months. The National Assembly continues to function until a new legislature is elected and sworn in.

The pool of potential caretaker prime ministers from which the President may choose is limited to the Chairperson of the National Assembly, the Governor or Deputy Governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the President or a Vice-President of the National Audit Office, and the National Ombudsman or a Deputy Ombudsman.