Bulgaria GERB Party Receives Cabinet Mandate

Boyko Borisov, leader of GERB party, winner in the recent general elections, was ordered on Thursday to form a government after his party ousted the Socialists in July 5 elections.

Bulgaria's President, Georgi Parvanov, handed him the mandate to appoint new cabinet.

"I would like to use the opportunity to congratulate the categorical winners at these elections, GERB party," Socialist President Parvanov said at the beginning of his address to the future prime minister of the country Boyko Borisov.

He expressed wishes that Borisov will form quickly new cabinet following transparent and open negotiations.

Boyko Borisov expressed gratitude for the opportunity his party has to form Bulgaria's next government.

"The election results were categorical - voters want us to form a cabinet that will usher Bulgaria out of the crisis," the future prime minister said, adding that GERB will form a minority government.

"Everyone, who is not a member of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and wants to support this government for the sake of Bulgaria's stability, will be welcomed to do so," he added, referring to the two partners in the coalition that his party toppled from power.

Under Bulgaria's constitution Boyko Borisov must form the government within seven days, present it to the president, who will then table it for voting at the parliament.

GERB party will run a minority government to tackle corruption and the economic crisis, it emerged on Wednesday, the second day of consultations over the new cabinet.

This will be the second minority government after the cabinet, headed by Filip Dimitrov (1991-1992).

The conservative center-right GERB claimed 116 MP seats in July 5 vote, shattering Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev's Socialist Party and falling just five seats short of holding a majority in the 240-seat unicameral parliament, which makes it easy for it to enter a wide range of informal alliances.

The party has already proposed a draft memorandum, which highlights the unity and consolidation of the majority, support for the future cabinet and the adoption of constitutional amendments.

GERB announced that they will offer a memorandum for political partnership and support for its new government to all parliamentary parties except for the ones that participated in the outgoing Socialist-led three-way coalition.

The next government is expected to bring in Western-educated economists and reformists to fulfill a pledge to revive the economy and clamp down on chronic corruption.

Simeon Djankov, Minister of Finance, Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Interior Minister, Yordanka Fandakova, Minister of Education and Vezhdi Rashidov, Minister of Culture, have been assured of ministerial positions so far.

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