Yordan Tsonev, deputy chairman of the parliamentary group of DPS-New Beginning, declared during consultations with President Rumen Radev that the 51st National Assembly has effectively ended its political life and that early elections are necessary. Speaking on behalf of his party, Tsonev emphasized that while they will support the extension of the 2025 budget, their priority remains preparing for new elections and ensuring transparency in the electoral process.

At the start of the meeting, President Radev asked whether the DPS-New Beginning intended to maintain its support for the continuation of the 51st National Assembly or push for elections. Tsonev replied that the party had backed the previous cabinet to address major challenges such as Bulgaria’s euro adoption, the country’s financial imbalances, and regional geopolitical tensions, but they had not sought executive posts themselves.

A central focus for DPS-New Beginning remains electoral reform. Tsonev insisted on the introduction of machine voting but criticized the current machines as compromised, calling instead for scanning and counting machines to ensure integrity and prevent errors associated with paper ballots. He highlighted that the party will actively participate in drafting changes to the Electoral Code and drawing lessons from experiences in Croatia, Romania, and Greece.

Regarding the budget, Tsonev noted the main shortcoming of the 51st National Assembly was its failure to pass a regular budget. While the extension budget will be supported, he stressed that a proper budget is critical for preparing for the euro, supporting businesses, and assisting municipalities. He warned that the main risk in the euro transition is speculative price increases. DPS-New Beginning intends to monitor the situation closely during the caretaker government to prevent undue inflation and protect consumers.

Tsonev confirmed that the party has studied international practices and remains committed to ensuring legislative measures to control speculation. He acknowledged President Radev’s criticism that prior government measures were insufficient and agreed that authorities should have acted more decisively to curb price hikes.

Earlier in the day, President Radev met with "Revival", whose leader Kostadin Kostadinov called for early parliamentary elections in March. The president also consulted with the two largest parliamentary groups, GERB and We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB), both of which announced they will not attempt to form a new cabinet in the 51st National Assembly. During consultations with WCC-DB, Radev supported measures to remove security protections for Delyan Peevski (leader of DPS-New Beginning) and implement full machine-based voting, though discussions on the timing of mandate distribution remained unresolved.

These consultations follow the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government amid mass protests over dissatisfaction with the 2026 Budget, which escalated into widespread demonstrations across Bulgaria and among Bulgarian communities abroad.

Following all consultations, President Radev will proceed to award mandates in sequence to the first, second, and third political forces of his choice. Should all three mandates fail to form a government, Radev will appoint a prime minister from the "house list", establish a caretaker cabinet, and set a date for early elections.