Bulgaria's Radev announces fifth general election to be held on April 2 after Socialists became the third political party to refuse to form a regular government in deadlocked parliament.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev in Istanbul, where they discussed security issues along the two nations' shared 513km border.
The announcement came from Bulgarian President Rumen Radev after parties failed to agree on a new coalition after the collapse of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov government in June.
Incumbent President Rumen Radev aims at cleaning Bulgaria's image as the EU's most corrupt member state, won 49.5 percent of the votes in the first round last week.
Some 6.7 million eligible voters hope that after inconclusive general elections in April and July, the third attempt to elect 240 lawmakers will result in a government to lead the European Union’s poorest member out of health and economic crises.
The Balkan country will hold its third parliamentary elections and the first round of the regular presidential election on the same date, Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev says.
Support for PM Boyko Borisov's GERB party has been eroded by a series of scandals, with protests last year accusing the government of protecting oligarchs.
President Rumen Radev, who took office this month, had to call an early election after the centre-right government resigned late last year following the presidential election loss of its candidate. He will dissolve the parliament on Friday.
Bulgaria and Russia have deep historical, cultural and commercial ties and the country has long walked a tightrope in its relations with Moscow and the West.
Centre-right presidential candidate Tsetka Tsacheva is predicted to win in the first round but lose in a run-off to Socialist Party candidate Rumen Radev, who wishes to move Bulgaria closer to Russia.
Subscribe to our Youtube channel for all latest in-depth, on the ground reporting from around the world.
Copyright © 2023 TRT World.
Like
Follow