Bulgaria's Parliament will gather on Wednesday at a second session to decide whether the minority coalition government, which Socialists proposed together with the ethnic Turks party will be Bulgaria's new cabinet.

This will be the second session after the one held on Tuesday failed. All MPs, except for those from the two coalition partners, left Parliament in an unprecedented boycott for the last years.

The opposition MPs from outgoing incumbents Simeon II National Movement, nationalists Ataka, right-wing United Democratic Forces, Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and the People's Union walked out of the hall in protest against the actions of Parliamentary Speaker Georgi Pirinski.

After a break the maverick MPs did not return to the parliamentary hall. A roll call showed that 116 MPs are in Parliament, 5 votes short of the required 121 majority.

The Socialists, who won the most votes in the June 25 elections, will seek to muster support for a cabinet with the ethnic Turks ally the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, being five votes short of majority in the 240-seat parliament.

The lineup of the draft government was presented to President Parvanov by Socialist PM-designate Sergey Stanishev on Sunday. It consists of 18 ministers, including 13 Socialist and five MRF ministers.

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of EU-Integration should merge according the plan, as should the Economy and Energy Ministries. The latter should be headed by former Energy Minister Rumen Ovcharov.

Stanishev nominated presidential adviser Ivaylo Kalfin for Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and chief EU negotiator. Non-socialist Plamen Oresharski, former deputy chair of the right-wing Union of Democratic Forces, was surprisingly slated for the job of finance minister.

Outgoing Deputy Interior Minister Boiko Kotsev is set to take the helm of the justice ministry. Rumen Petkov, one of the deputies of Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev, should become Interior Minister.

Anguel Naydenov, spokesman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, is the proposed Defence Minister.

Petar Mutafchiev has been nominated Transport Minister. Assen Gagauzov is offered the Regional Development Ministry. Dimitar Kalchev, minister of state administration in the previous government of Simeon Saxe-Coburg, is proposed to retain his post.

The ministry of labor, agriculture and environment also have been allocated to the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. They will be headed respectively by Hassan Ademov, Nihat Kabil and Dzhevded Chakarov.

MRF deputy leader Emel Etem is named deputy prime minister, responsible for handling natural calamities.

Celebrated actor Stefan Danailov is proposed to take the helm of the Culture Ministry.

The Sports Ministry should be headed by former shooting champion Vessela Lecheva.

Radoslav Gaydarski, one of the country's best surgeons, is planned to take on the Health Ministry.

The draft government needs the support of at least 121 MPs to survive the confidence vote. Each abstainee or absent MP will be eventually a vote cast in support of the coalition.

Should the coalition fail to survive the confidence vote, a mandate for forming a government will be handed to the election runner-up - Simeon II National Movement.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!