Rosen Plevneliev

Bulgaria observes on Monday a day of national mourning over the incident in the northeastern village of Hitrino where seven people died after a gas explosion caused by a train derailment.

National flags will be flown at half-mast at all state institutions.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev will not hand over a government mandate to the Reformist Bloc coalition on Monday as scheduled, his office says.

The reason cited is the day of national mourning declared over the tragic incident in Hitrino, northwestern Bulgaria, where seven people lost their lives and 29 were injured in a cargo train explosion.

As the parties in Bulgaria's parliament struggle in vain to form a new government, President Rosen Plevneliev may face the task of having to appoint a third caretaker government in his five-year-mandate.

Plevneliev's task could be far more complicated this time, however, as his mandate is about to expire. He is due to hand over office to President-elect Rumen Radev on January 22.

Right-wing Reformist Bloc coalition has said it will hand back the mandate to the Bulgarian President next week, without trying to form a new government.

Later staements from members of the bloc, however, have cast a shadow of doubt on whether this position will change.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev's Chief of Staff is the most likely option to take over as interim Prime Minister if a caretaker cabinet is to be formed later in December, local media report.

Bulgarian President-elect Rumen Radev will not have any role in forming an interim government together with incumbent Rosen Plevneliev, the socialists' leader has said.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev will give the Reformist Bloc (RB) coalition a chance to form a cabinet next Monday, December 11, his press office has said.

The ceremony will take place at the Presidency at 11:00.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) has handed back the mandate to form a new government and lead the country out of the current Parliamentary crisis.

"I will not use the opportunity [to form a cabinet," Ninova has said before handing out a statement to Plevneliev to confirm the decision.

Ninova is accompanied by two core BSP members, Angel Naydenov and Zhelyo Boychev.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said his conservative GERB party will not participate in any cabinet made after the early election unless it emerges it gets the biggest share of the vote.

President Rosen Plevneliev and outgoing Prime Minister Boyko Borisov have pondered an option to keep the current government in office until the new head of state takes over in January, daily 24 Chasa says, citing its own sources.

The scenario has been tabled after Borisov's final decision to return the mandate to Plevneliev on Friday.