President Rumen Radev has concluded consultations with all political parties represented in the National Assembly and emphasized the need for urgent measures to restore trust in the electoral process. He announced that he will hand over the first exploratory mandate to form a new government after the New Year and reiterated the importance of implementing 100% machine voting with electronic vote counting and control verification of receipts.

“The general view is that trust in the 51st National Assembly has been exhausted and dialogue has been destroyed. Early parliamentary elections are already on the horizon,” Radev summarized following last week’s consultations. He stressed that parties must honor commitments made during these talks to minimize the subjective factor in voting and vote counting, ensuring transparency and fairness.

The President also criticized the former government for attempting to shift responsibility for rising prices onto businesses and citizens. “Bulgarians remember who brought them to this situation. The government, which imposed decisions without consideration, must bear full political responsibility until the caretaker government takes office without abdicating its constitutional obligations,” Radev said, advising citizens to enjoy the holiday season without political disputes.

During consultations, Radev addressed even the smallest parliamentary groups, including the "Greatness" party, highlighting the significance of each party’s voice in shaping governance. He praised Velichy for exposing manipulations in the last parliamentary elections that had prevented the party from taking its rightful place. Ivelin Mihaylov, leader of Greatness, noted that the Assembly has lacked legitimacy since its formation, citing video surveillance checks in 6,000 polling stations that revealed violations in 50% of cases. He emphasized that proper use of these recordings is essential to hold accountable those who manipulated votes.

The consultations reflected a broad consensus among political forces that forming a new cabinet within the current parliament is highly challenging. GERB expressed unwillingness to participate in a new government, urging early elections and submission of an extended budget. WCC-DB echoed the impossibility of forming a cabinet in the current Assembly, while also advocating for 100% machine voting and the removal of NSO security from deputies. Revival called for early elections, a redrafted budget, and even proposed a referendum to maintain the lev and postpone eurozone entry by one year. DPS-New Beginning supported the extension budget despite recognizing its limitations, while BSP-United Left highlighted the risks of the extension law for vulnerable citizens. The “There Is Such a People” party discouraged any reconfiguration in the 51st parliament. The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms emphasized the near impossibility of forming a government but endorsed machine voting. MECH warned that if democratic mechanisms fail, Bulgaria could face revolutionary pressures.

Following standard procedure, President Radev will first hand the mandate to GERB to form a government. If unsuccessful, the second mandate will go to WCC-DB, and the third to a formation of the President’s choosing. Should all three attempts fail, the National Assembly will be dissolved, a caretaker government appointed, and new elections scheduled within two months.

Radev reiterated that urgent action is required to rebuild public trust in the electoral process, noting that manipulations in the 51st National Assembly have already prevented parties from occupying their rightful positions. Implementing full machine voting with electronic reporting and control counts is central to ensuring credibility, he stressed, underlining that this step is critical to safeguard democratic governance in Bulgaria.