President Rumen Radev has begun consultations with the parties represented in parliament before handing the first mandate for the formation of a cabinet. The biggest parliamentary group, that of GERB-SDS, were the first to meet with the President.

“We shall make every effort to form a government, up to the verge of our own self-preservation and maybe even a little beyond it, but without entirely losing our identity,” said GERB deputy chairman Tomislav Donchev. Desislava Atanasova on her part stated that GERB-SDS has all experts necessary to form a cabinet. They expect the other parliamentary groups to think things over so that a majority for the formation of a government can be put together.

The anti-crisis measures GERB-SDS is proposing are: continuing with the compensations for businesses, leaving household consumers on the regulated electricity market for a few more years and organizing a tender for long-term gas supply contracts. GERB welcomes the proposal, submitted by the caretaker cabinet, for acquiring more F-16 fighter jets.

Daniel Mitov called for an end to the narrative that providing military-technical aid to Ukraine is going to drag Bulgaria into the war, and added that this was worrying our NATO partners because “the signals that are getting across are keeping them from regarding us as a responsible member of the alliance”. The President responded that he has never, at any summit meeting, sensed even a hint of any such thing, and stated that the idea of giving Ukraine Bulgaria’s old weaponry in exchange for modern weapons should be approached with caution, adding that upgrading takes time.

The consultations with the President continue.