Politics After seven elections: Bulgaria forms unusual three-party coalition
Two and a half months after an early parliamentary election, Bulgaria has a new government. It is an unusual coalition of pro-Western, pro-Russian and populist forces.
16.01.2025, 16:43
SDA
The pro-Western center-right alliance Gerb-SDS, which won the most votes in the election, formed an alliance with the pro-Russian Socialists (BSP-OL) and the system-critical populists of ITN. In addition, the Turkish party DPS secured the decisive votes for the minority government in parliament. The Gerb-SDS alliance is part of the European People's Party (EPP) in the EU Parliament.
Coalition faces major tasks
Prime Minister Rossen Scheljaskow (Gerb) justified the unusual government coalition with the urgent need to lead Bulgaria out of the political crisis. The 56-year-old lawyer explained that the parties involved had "put aside their political and ideological differences" in order to sign a coalition agreement.
Priorities: introducing the euro and the rule of law
After seven parliamentary elections in three and a half years, EU member Bulgaria is facing considerable challenges. The government's key tasks include adopting a balanced state budget for 2025. Other priorities include introducing the euro, accelerating the use of funds from the EU reconstruction plan and strengthening the rule of law and energy security. A comprehensive government program is expected within a month.
