Sofia: Bulgaria is set to hold early parliamentary elections after the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) returned the third and final mandate to form a government unfulfilled to President Rumen Radev. The president had handed the mandate to the ARF parliamentary group, asking them to nominate a prime minister, but the party returned it immediately.

According to Anadolu Agency, ARF Floor Leader Hayri Sadakov expressed that the parliamentary group authorized the return of the mandate unfulfilled to facilitate fair, transparent, and democratic elections. President Radev confirmed that the country is now heading towards new elections, stating, "We are going to the elections."

Bulgaria has been without a regular government since Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov resigned on December 11, 2025. In mid-December, President Radev initiated the constitutional procedure for government formation, consulting with parliamentary groups in the 51st National Assembly.

The first mandate was given to the GERB-UDF alliance and was returned immediately, while the second mandate, given to Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, was returned unfulfilled earlier this week. Bulgaria's constitution stipulates that if all three attempts to form a government fail, the president must appoint a caretaker Cabinet and schedule early parliamentary elections within two months.

The caretaker prime minister can be selected only from a specific list of senior officials, including the speaker of parliament, senior figures from the central bank or the national audit office, or the national ombudsman or a deputy.

President Radev had chosen to hand the third mandate to the ARF as a symbol of national unity and opposition to attempts to incite ethnic divisions. He mentioned that members and supporters of the party had been subjected to pressure and influence, which he described as unacceptable under the rule of law.