Maria Gabriel, right, the prime minister-designate under a power-sharing deal by the two main political parties, is seen next to the former PM Nikolay Denkov of the reformist coalition led by "We Continue the Change," before obtaining the mandate to form a new government at the Bulgarian Presidency in Sofia, Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
Maria Gabriel, right, the prime minister-designate under a power-sharing deal by the two main political parties, is seen next to the former PM Nikolay Denkov of the reformist coalition led by "We Continue the Change," before obtaining the mandate to form a new government at the Bulgarian Presidency in Sofia, Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Monday tapped the largest group in parliament, the center-right GERB-UDF coalition, to form the country’s new government.
Radev handed the mandate to Maria Gabriel, the prime minister-designate under a power-sharing deal by the two main political parties, according to which each would hold the top job for nine months at a time.
Earlier this month, Nikolay Denkov of the reformist coalition led by “We Continue the Change,†as prime minister, paving the way for Gabriel, a former European Commissioner who served as deputy head of Denkov’s government and foreign minister.
The two parties agreed to share power after elections last year in a bid to end a two-and-a-half-year-long , restore stability and spur economic development in the of the European Union.
Accepting the mandate, Gabriel said that she does it “with a sense of responsibility as Bulgaria needs stability.†It was also announced that she would keep the foreign minister portfolio in the new government, which analysts see as a guarantee that Bulgaria will remain on its pro-Western track.
Gabriel has seven days to nominate a cabinet, which needs to be approved by a majority in parliament.
Following last year’s election, GERB has 69 seats in the 240-seat parliament, while the reformist bloc has 63.
Gabriel, 43, a member of the European Parliament since 2009, was EU commissioner for innovation, research, culture, education and youth. She is also the first vice chair of the European People’s Party.
