In Sofia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov stepped down on Tuesday, clearing the path for his coalition partner, the centre-right GERB party, to take the reins of government as agreed upon following last year’s elections. However, there is some uncertainty surrounding the next steps.
Last year, GERB and a pro-Western bloc led by “We Continue to Change”, which Denkov represents, inked an agreement stipulating that Foreign Minister and former European Commissioner Maria Gabriel would assume the role of prime minister after Denkov finishes his nine-month term.
Bulgaria, a member of both the EU and NATO, is awaiting the forwarding of Denkov’s resignation to parliament by the BTA agency. The timing for Gabriel’s inauguration as prime minister was not disclosed.
The Sofia Globe news outlet cautioned that despite the agreement, the coalition could fracture due to disagreements between partners on the course of action post-Denkov’s resignation.
GERB is advocating for Gabriel to retain her foreign minister position while serving as prime minister and is proposing a rotation every 15 months instead of the agreed-upon nine months. Negotiations on these matters are ongoing with “We Continue to Change”.
Both parties are expected to announce whether a resolution has been reached by Friday, according to the website’s report.
“This is not a political maneuver but a matter of honoring one’s word, demonstrating continuity, political sportsmanship, and respect for the citizens,” Denkov stated in a release.
“I am now fulfilling the commitment we made in the joint declaration on June 6, 2023.”
On that significant day, the government was voted into parliament, tasked with executing reforms that would eventually guide the Balkan nation into the euro zone and the open-border Schengen area.
In the elections in April last year, GERB secured the most votes, claiming 69 seats in the 240-seat parliament. Meanwhile, the bloc led by “We Continue to Change” obtained 64 seats.
(Reporting by Stoyan Nenov; Writing by Ivana Sekularac; Editing by Nick Macfie)
