Bulgaria's President to Hand Govt Mandate on Friday

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev will begin the last-ditch effort to secure a new government on Friday to avoid a new early election.

Plevneliev will hand over a government mandate to GERB, Bulgaria's biggest party, which has already declared it will return it.

GERB leader and outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, who stepped down in November is expected to give back the mandate upon receiving it at 11:00 local time.

The second-largest party, BSP, has already said it will also return it.

The President may then choose to hand over the mandate to a third party of his own preference. While expectations are rife that he gives it out to the Patriotic Front, a nationalist coalition that has expressed readiness to try forming a parliamentary majority, he could also go for the Reformist Bloc, a loose right-wing coalition.

In case no government is formed after these attempts, an interim administration will be formed.

However, an early election will not be scheduled before January as it requires the dissolution of Parliament. The incumbent head of state is constitutionally barred from taking the step less than three months before his term expires.