Yordan Tsonev

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has handed the first exploratory mandate to form a government to Rosen Zhelyazkov, the nominee for Prime Minister from the largest parliamentary group, GERB. In accepting the mandate, President Radev emphasized the significant responsibility given the fragmented parliament and low voter turnout, which could impact institutional legitimacy.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) has urged President Rumen Radev to intervene as a mediator in the ongoing government formation discussions, emphasizing that elections should be viewed as a last resort rather than a solution.

Today marks the second day of the inaugural session of the 50th National Assembly, after failing to elect a speaker yesterday. Raya Nazaryan's candidacy garnered support from GERB, DPS, and Hristo Prodanov of BSP, totaling 116 votes initially. However, Prodanov voted "against" in the second round.

Negotiations between GERB and DPS to form a government began after a delay caused by disputes over seating arrangements in the plenary hall. Contrary to expectations, Delyan Peevski, co-chairman of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), did not participate, in line with Boyko Borissov's decision not to lead the talks personally.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has decided not to veto the proposed amendments to the Gambling Law, which include a prohibition on gambling advertisements in the media. The official announcement regarding the law's promulgation in tomorrow's issue of the State Gazette has been made available on the newspaper's website.

A significant blow has been dealt to the media landscape in Bulgaria as the National Assembly approved a ban on gambling advertisements across television, news websites, and print media. The decision, made in the second reading with changes to the Gambling Act, comes amidst heated debate and divergent opinions among lawmakers and industry stakeholders.

In a last-minute move, GERB and DPS have put forward amendments to the Law on Gambling aimed at prohibiting the mass advertising of gambling, including on television, radio, and news websites.

In a recent decision made during an extraordinary budget and finance committee meeting, deputies opted to grant a BGN 100 supplement for Easter solely to pensioners whose pensions fall below the poverty line. This means that those receiving pensions above this threshold will not be eligible for the holiday supplement.

Amidst ongoing negotiations to form a new government, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) has expressed openness to exploring alternative governance arrangements beyond the existing coalition between GERB and "We Continuing the Change - Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB).

Discussions surrounding the state budget for 2024 are scheduled to kick off in the coming week during plenary sessions, with amendments to tax laws set for review tomorrow, as confirmed by Finance Minister Assen Vassilev and National Assembly's Budget and Finance Committee Chair, Yordan Tsonev.