- Bulgaria’s next prime minister, Maria Gabriel, withdrew her nomination on Monday, citing failed negotiations between her coalition government.
- Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov resigned on March 6, with hopes that Gabriel would take his place, but the transition failed.
- The withdrawal came after two weeks of negotiations between the GERB-UDF and the reformist coalition led by “We Continue the Change.”
Bulgaria’s next candidate for prime minister withdrew his nomination on Monday after negotiations between two party coalitions broke down, potentially plunging the European Union’s poorest member state into a new crisis.
Former EU Commissioner Maria Gabriel had been proposed to form a new government by the centre-right GERB-UDF coalition, the largest force in parliament. But hours before her departure, she and her negotiating team told reporters that things were “all over” and Bulgaria would head to early elections, she said.
The withdrawal came after two weeks of negotiations between the GERB-UDF and a reformist coalition led by “We Continue the Change” over what was supposed to be an agreed rotation.
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After the April elections, the political rivals struck a deal that would see them each hold the top job as prime minister for nine months at a time.
Maria Gabriel, who was appointed Prime Minister under a power-sharing agreement between the two major political parties, speaks after receiving the mandate to form a new government at the Bulgarian Presidential Palace in Sofia on March 18, 2024. Gabriel withdrew her nomination on Monday after negotiations between the two political coalitions broke down. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
Under the agreement, outgoing Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov of the reformist coalition was expected to step down on March 6 and be replaced by Gabriel, who served as deputy government chief and foreign minister.
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The two coalitions failed in their attempts to achieve a smooth transition of power, instead blaming each other for disrupting negotiations. The talks became a partisan battle over issues related to judicial reform, security leadership and the composition of Gabriel’s cabinet.
In a televised address late Sunday, Denkov appealed to the GERB-UDF to keep its promises, sign the deal and vote to form a government “instead of plunging the country into chaos.”
