Rossen Jeliazkov of the GERB party was officially elected prime minister on Thursday, after three months of discussions.
Bulgaria’s parliament on Thursday formally approved a coalition government led by the center-right GERB party, finally establishing an administration nearly three months after elections that resulted in a deeply divided parliament.
Lawmakers voted 125 to 114 to elect Rossen Jeliazkov, a lawyer and former speaker of parliament, as prime minister. Aged 56, he was a minister in several previous governments.
Rossen Jeliazkov pledged to restore financial stability and keep Bulgaria on the EU and NATO path.
“The government will prioritize the quality of life of the population with emphasis on education and health care,” he said during the handover ceremony.
The party chose Rossen Jeliazkov over its leader, Boyko Borissov, who led three governments between 2009 and 2021. His third government resigned following major anti-corruption protests.
The GERB came first in last October’s elections, the seventh in three years, but only obtained 69 seats in the National Assembly, which has 240.
Rossen Zheliazkov said his party had made “necessary compromises”, addressing ideological differences with two junior partners: the pro-Russian Socialist Party (BSP) and the populist group “There Is Such a People” (“Има такъв народ”, ITN).
Although the coalition has fewer MPs than needed for a majority, it was approved in a separate vote thanks to the support of a small ethnic Turkish party that threw its support behind the coalition without being part of it.
The new government is dominated by former ministers and GERB officials, who obtained 11 ministerial seats, while the BSP and ITN each have four ministers.
Video editor • Rory Elliott Armstrong
