Bulgaria breaks political impasse with proposed power-sharing deal

Bulgaria’s two main political factions have agreed a power-sharing deal that will end a parliamentary impasse that has paralyzed the EU nation for more than two years.

The country, which has faced persistent inflation, difficulties separating its energy network from Russia and failures to fight corruption and organized crime, has had five elections since 2021.

All elections since the fall of former prime minister Boyko Borissov’s centre-right government have ended in inconclusive or resulted in small governments as his Gerb party commanded more than a quarter of the vote, but a stable was unable to form a coalition.

On Monday night, a centrist coalition led by Gerb and his main political rivals, We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB), agreed to form a government together with a rotating premiership.

Gerb, who had won the previous election on 2 April, proposed former EU commissioner Maria Gabriel as his candidate for prime minister in place of Borisov, whose rule was ended amid corruption allegations that sparked major protests. There was massive protest.

Under the power-sharing agreement, the PP-DB’s Nikolai Denkov, a former education minister, would become prime minister with Gabriel as his deputy and foreign minister. Gabriel will take over as premier after nine months as the parties rotate leadership.

After the deal was done, Gabriel told reporters that Bulgaria needed a stable government “to get out of the current political crisis” and “to meet all the requirements related to the country’s full EU membership, including Schengen and the Eurozone”. Needed. Sofia is still on the waiting list to join Europe’s passport-free travel zone known as Schengen and its eurozone membership has also been delayed.

Hristo Ivanov, Bulgaria’s former justice minister who leads a party in the PP-DB group, said the coalition deal would unlock “enormous economic and political benefits”.

“Access to the Schengen zone and the euro area is absolutely possible,” he said. “Tens of billions in EU money are to be used. We can reform the energy system, disengage from Russia and restart the green transition, geopolitically important North-South infrastructure and help Ukraine revive its strong military industry.But only if there is a stable government.

However, the alliance is likely to be an uneasy one, as both groups prepare for local elections in October.