Brussels–Bulgaria finally has a new government. After more than two months of intense negotiations following yet another early election, which produced a parliament without a clear majority, deputies voted confidence in the coalition executive led by Rosen Zhelyazkov, a center-right politician who is a former speaker of the House.
Final approval came this morning (Jan. 16), when the National Assembly – Sofia’s single-chamber parliament – approved with 126 “yes” votes out of the total 240 seats, the start of the term in office of Rosen Zhelyazkov, who the President of the Republic, Rumen Radev tasked yesterday to form a government.
“Bulgaria needs a regular government that implements policies that support the democratic rule of law, the competitiveness of the economy, security, and the protection of the social rights of citizens,” Zhelyazkov said in the House before the vote.
The 56-year-old lawyer is a well-known face in national politics, militating for years in the ranks of GERB, the center-right party led by Boyko Borissov: from 2018 to 2021, he served as minister of Transportation before being elected deputy in 2021 and becoming Speaker of the House from 2023 to 2024.
Congratulations came from Brussels this morning from the President of the European Council, António Costa, who “looks forward to working together on a strongly pro-European agenda for the benefit of all Bulgarians.”
My warmest congratulations, Rosen Zhelyazkov, on your appointment as Prime Minister of Bulgaria.
Wishing you success and looking forward to working together on a strong pro-European agenda for the benefit of all Bulgarians.
– António Costa (@eucopresident) January 16, 2025
Bulgaria has been undergoing a prolonged phase of extensive political instability, holding seven early elections in four years. In the latest election round, in October, GERB came in first with 25.5 percent of the vote (69 seats), but it took some eighty days of complex talks with the other parliamentary forces to reach an agreement on the new cabinet.
GERB, the pro-Russian socialists of the BSP, and the populists of ITN (an acronym for “There is Such a People”) back the Zhelyazkov executive. The Turkish Minority Party (APS) has ensured external support.
However, it is a fragile majority as the Constitutional Court should review the election results and reassign some parliamentary seats to the pro-Russian Velichie party, which had failed to pass the threshold by about 30 votes.
The Balkan state is the poorest of the 27 member states, with persisting enormous corruption problems partly due to the presence of oligarchic structures that have yet to be completely eradicated. It is one of the seven EU members without the euro (the others are Czechia, Poland, Romania, Sweden, and Hungary, joined by Denmark, which, however, has a permanent opt-out on adopting the single currency). However, Zhelyazkov has promised to do everything possible to get Sofia into the eurozone. Since Jan. 1, Bulgaria became a full member of the Schengen Area, along with Romania, permanently opening land borders.
