site.btaPresident Radev Concludes Cabinet-forming Consultations with Velichie, Will Hand Exploratory Mandate after New Year

President Rumen Radev concluded the government-forming consultations with representatives of the Velichie parliamentary group here on Friday, which is the final day of talks with all political formations in the 51st National Assembly.

Radev said he will be handing over the exploratory mandate to form a government after the New Year. The head of state said that during the consultations with the parliamentary groups, a shared view was expressed that trust in the 51st National Assembly has been exhausted, dialogue between the political forces has been destroyed, and the possibility of early parliamentary elections is already appearing on the horizon. 

“Every parliamentary force and every member of parliament counts, regardless of its size,” Radev said at the start of the meeting. While Velichie is the smallest parliamentary group and last on the consultation schedule, the President emphasized the importance of its “panoramic perspective” on the work of the National Assembly, noting that the plenary hall can at times become a “gladiator arena,” making the opinion of all parties significant.

The head of State raised the question of whether there is a future for parliamentary life in the current assembly and whether Velichie representatives would commit to efforts to form a new governing configuration within this parliament. He also drew attention to the party’s efforts to expose alleged manipulations in the last parliamentary elections, which, he said, deprived it of the representation it was entitled to in the 51st National Assembly. In this context, he asked what measures could and should be taken to restore trust in the electoral process. The President highlighted potential legislative reforms, including 100% machine voting with electronic reporting and control counting of receipts, to minimize the subjective factor in voting and results reporting.

In response, Velichie leader Ivelin Mihaylov expressed sharp criticism of the current legislature. “This National Assembly has been absolutely illegitimate from the start. We are in a mafia dictatorship that cannot survive under a market economy,” Mihaylov said. He noted that video monitoring of six thousand polling stations revealed “50% brutal violations” and that entire municipalities had seen total vote replacement during the last elections. Mihaylov also warned of a “second filter” in Parliament, aimed at manipulating the positions of already seated groups, citing extreme pressure, blackmail, and the use of state institutions, including the national security agency, the anti-corruption commission, and media outlets, to suppress inconvenient members and maintain a parliament with only nominal opposition. He added that he personally had been threatened and offered incentives to change political allegiance.

Speaking on behalf of the party alongside Juliana Mateeva and Pavlin Petrov, Mihaylov emphasized that although Velichie is small, it is highly active. “Our position is the strongest; we sit at the top in parliament and see everything that happens,” he said. The party described itself as ordinary citizens intervening to correct a system that, in their view, has become unsuitable for living.

Mihaylov concluded that both the elections and the post-election process highlight systemic problems. “If this lawlessness continues, we are not in a democracy, not in socialism, but in a mafia dictatorship that cannot endure under a market economy. This National Assembly cannot carry out governing functions that would even minimally improve people’s lives,” he said.

President Radev urged political forces to honor commitments made during consultations and to implement the necessary reforms to restore trust in the electoral process. He also criticized the government for attempting to shift responsibility for failures in governance, price control, debt management, and social protection onto others, including through sanctions against protesters. On the eve of Christmas, the President called for a return to enduring values and for citizens to experience the holidays in peace, security, and prosperity.

The consultations are part of the constitutional process following the government’s resignation, as the president meets with all parliamentary groups before assigning mandates to form a new cabinet. Under the Constitution, after consultations with the parliamentary groups, the President mandates the largest group to form a government. If it fails, the second-largest group is given a mandate, followed by a third exploratory mandate to a parliamentary group chosen by the President. Failure to form a government under the third mandate leads to snap parliamentary elections.

Since the beginning of the week, Radev has met with representatives of the other political parties represented in Parliament. On Monday, he received GERB–UDF, followed by Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria.

On Tuesday, the head of state held consultations with Vazrazhdane and Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning.

On Wednesday, consultations were held with BSP - United Left and There Is Such a People.

On Thursday, Radev met with the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and Morality, Unity, Honour.