site.btaPresident Picks Alliance for Rights and Freedoms for Third Government-forming Mandate, Political Parties React

President Rumen Radev will mandate the parliamentary group of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) to nominate a prime minister-designate on January 16, the head of State's Press Secretariat said here on Thursday. If the third and last cabinet forming mandate fails as well, the President will consult the parliamentary groups, appoint a caretaker government and schedule new parliamentary elections within two months.

The parliamentary groups in the National Assembly were quick to react to the President's announcement.

Hayri Sadakov, Floor Leader of the ARF, told reporters that his party would accept the third mandate to form a cabinet, while all other aspects would be discussed within the parliamentary group and its structures. Sadakov said the granting of the third exploratory mandate to his group was a sign of appreciation of its consistent efforts within the 51st National Assembly to uphold the principles of democracy, statehood and the institutional unity and strength of the State.

Radostin Vasilev, leader of the Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh) party, stated that the party sees this as a negative sign from the President. According to Vasilev, the ARF has no electoral weight and will most likely not be represented in the next parliament. "We believe that the remnants of this party have caused irreparable damage to the Bulgarian state and are no different from [Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) - New Beginning leader] Delyan Peevski's people," the MECh leader said.

Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Vazrazhdane, said that with this move "the future former president" had made a serious political mistake. "He took off the mask even before the performance had begun. In this sense, this is good news for us Bulgarians. The planned substitution will start to stall even before it has begun."  

Assen Vassilev, leader of Continue the Change, said that "this is a clear sign by President Rumen Radev against Peevski". He further explained that if a new government has 121 MPs and the opportunity to carry out genuine reforms, they will insist on a drastic reduction in the number of ministries.

Delyan Peevski, leader of the MRF - New Beginning, said sarcastically: "We want a kiss!"

Under the Constitution, after a cabinet resigns, the President must begin a new procedure of handing exploratory mandates to form a government. After consultations, the President tasks a prime minister-designate nominated by the largest parliamentary group with forming a cabinet. If within seven days the nominee fails to propose a Council of Ministers, the President mandates a designee of the second largest parliamentary group. If no government is proposed in that case, either, again within one week, the President asks another parliamentary group of his choice to name a prime minister-designate.

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.