Bulgaria to Hold Snap Elections by Mid-May

Bulgaria's snap elections will take place between the end of April and mid-May, President Rosen Plevneliev has announced.

On Friday, Plevneliev had talks with all parliamentary groups after the Parliament voted the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and his Cabinet.

Plevneliev confirmed that he will hand down on Monday the mandate for forming a new government to the biggest party in parliament – Borisov's center-right GERB, as the Constitution requires.

If GERB does not form a new Cabinet, then the President does the same with the second largest group. If the second group declines, then the mandate is given to a third group of the President's choice.

However, it has been made clear that neither GERB, nor the second and third largest parliamentary groups – the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (chosen by Plevneliev)– are willing to form a Cabinet.

Therefore, the President will appoint a caretaker government, and then, with one single decree, adjourn the Parliament and schedule a new general election.

"We are apparently heading towards a caretaker government. This government has to be professional and expert-based," Plevneliev told reporters after Friday's talks.

On Wednesday Borisov made the stunning announcement he was resigning, grounding the decision on not wanting to see blood on streets and fences around the building of the Parliament. He said he was returning the power to the people who elected him in the summer of 2009.

The breaking news about Borisov's resignation came in the aftermath of large-scale protests across the country against high utility bills, leading to clashes with riot police.

The Bulgarian Parliament accepted the Cabinet's resignation on Thursday.