President Rumen Radev handed over the third exploratory mandate to the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS) as part of the ongoing effort to form a government. The delegation that received and then returned the mandate at the presidency included Khairi Sadakov, Taner Ali, Ahmed Vranchev, Sevim Ali, and Pavlin Naydenov.

In a statement, Radev noted that the APS had faced significant pressure from its own ranks and external influences, making them uniquely aware of the flaws in the current governance system. He emphasized that the mandate was offered not only as a symbol of national unity but also as a statement against attempts by self-serving politicians to foment ethnic tensions in Bulgaria for narrow personal gains.

Khairi Sadakov, speaking on behalf of the APS parliamentary group, expressed gratitude for the mandate and acknowledged the responsibility it represented. He explained that the group had chosen to return the mandate unfulfilled to ensure that forthcoming elections are frequent, free, transparent, and democratic, reflecting the broader public sentiment expressed in protests over the past year and a half. “We heard it in the squares and experienced it firsthand. Our decision reflects the will of the people and the call for genuine democratic processes,” Sadakov said. President Radev concluded the meeting by affirming that the country is now heading to elections.

The third mandate followed the previous two, both of which were also returned immediately. The first mandate was awarded to GERB, with candidate Rosen Zhelyazkov stepping down from consideration, while the second went to the WCC-DB parliamentary group, whose candidate Nadezhda Yordanova also returned it. By law, the third mandate is granted to a party selected by the president, in this case APS.

The “mandate roulette” emerged after the resignation of Rosen Zhelyazkov’s coalition government, which included GERB, BSP, and TISP, and had initially relied on APS support. The government collapsed amid massive protests in response to the 2026 Draft State Budget, which later evolved into a broader anti-government movement.

The consultation process with President Radev, conducted between 15–19 December 2025, involved meetings with parliamentary leaders including Denitsa Sacheva of GERB, WCC-DB, Revival, DPS-New Beginning, BSP, TISP, APS, MECH, and Greatness. These discussions underscored two key points: early parliamentary elections are unavoidable, and electoral reforms are necessary, with opposition parties supporting 100% machine voting.

Under the new constitutional provisions, should a caretaker government need to be formed, President Radev would consult the “house book” of potential candidates. The list includes Speaker of the National Assembly Raya Nazaryan, Bulgarian National Bank Governor Dimitar Radev and his deputy Andrey Gyurov (who was removed from the bank’s governing board due to Anti-Corruption Commission proceedings), and Chairman of the Court of Accounts Dimitar Glavchev, who previously served as caretaker prime minister. Other potential candidates include Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva, who has declined the role, and her deputy Maria Filipova. To date, Raya Nazaryan and Dimitar Radev have also publicly declined consideration.