Sofia, Jan 16 : Bulgaria will hold early parliamentary elections after the third and final attempt to form a new government within the current legislature failed on Friday.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev offered the parliamentary group "Alliance for Rights and Freedoms" (ARF) to form a government on Friday, but it declined the request for the third time this week. The two largest parliamentary groups, GERB-UDF and PP-DB, also declined to do so earlier this week, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The need for a new cabinet emerged in December, following the resignation of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov amid large-scale protests over the economic policy of the ruling majority.

"Consciously, responsibly, our parliamentary group authorized me to return the third exploratory mandate unfulfilled, so that we can realize, with all our common efforts, fair, free, transparent, democratic elections," said Hayri Sadakov, chairperson of the ARF parliamentary group.

According to the Bulgarian Constitution, after a third failure, Radev, following consultations with parliamentary groups, is required to appoint a caretaker prime minister and government, and to schedule new elections within two months.

However, the process is not straightforward. Due to amendments to the constitution adopted at the end of 2023, Radev can appoint a caretaker prime minister only from specific positions: the speaker of parliament, the governor or deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the president or vice president of the Bulgarian National Audit Office, or the Ombudsman or their deputy. However, no one from these positions is obligated to accept the responsibility.

Additionally, Radev must appoint a caretaker cabinet proposed by the caretaker prime minister, though he may not agree with the proposal. A similar situation occurred before the last parliamentary elections. In August 2024, Radev appointed Goritsa Grancharova-Kozhareva as caretaker prime minister, tasking her with proposing a caretaker government. However, Radev disagreed with her choice for interior minister. When she refused to nominate another candidate, the president appointed a different caretaker Prime Minister.

Zhelyazkov's government was sworn in on Jan. 16, 2025, following snap elections in October 2024 -- the seventh parliamentary election in Bulgaria in just three and a half years.

/IANS