site.btaPresident to Hand Third Government-Forming Mandate to Alliance for Rights and Freedoms

The President will hand over a government-forming mandate to the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms on Friday, the head of State's press centre said. The second mandate - to Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria - was returned unfulfilled on January 14.

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.