Bulgarian President Rumen Radev is set to begin consultations with parliamentary groups next week on forming a new cabinet after the government collapsed following massive anti-corruption protests.
Rosen Željazkov's minority government has survived six no-confidence votes since being appointed in January, only to be toppled by a vote in parliament on Thursday after demonstrations by tens of thousands of people.
President Radev is preparing to invite the largest parliamentary group first, and if that fails, the second largest group will get the opportunity to form a government.
If all attempts fail, which is likely, the president will appoint a transitional cabinet until new elections are held in two months.
Analysts expect that another election, the eighth since 2021, is likely to lead to a deeply divided parliament and more political instability as Bulgaria prepares to introduce the EU currency, the euro, as its sole means of payment on January 1.
Fears of inflation, reportedly fueled by a Russian disinformation campaign, have dampened enthusiasm for adopting the euro in Bulgaria, which has been a member of the European Union since 2007.
In a last-ditch attempt to block the introduction of the euro, the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party asked parliament for a one-year delay, citing state budget delays and political instability.
Although the chances of such a delay are slim, such proposals reflect tensions that are expected to grow until the next elections, which could change Bulgaria's pro-Western course.
Having for some time criticized the pro-Western government for its support for Ukraine, analysts expect the leftist president, Radev, to form a new party ahead of the parliamentary elections.
On the other hand, "the political forces that can stop the Kremlin's plan to control Bulgaria are divided by another major problem in Bulgarian politics," political analyst Ognjen Minchev noted regarding the quarrels between the main pro-Western parties over domestic policy.
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