"There is Such a People" (ITN) party is ready to participate in the talks on the formation of a new cabinet, but not at all costs, the Chairman of the Parliamentary group of ITN Toshko Yordanov said at the consultations with Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev. On Monday, President Radev held consultations with representatives of GERB/SDS and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. 

MP Yordanov said that ITN would support a cabinet of experts with a clear programme for at least one year, without outgoing Premier Kiril Petkov and outgoing Minister of Finance Assen Vassilev.  “Solving crises requires clear decisions from politicians to address people's concerns over rising prices and the war in Ukraine”, Bulgaria’s Head of State Radev stressed during the consultations with ITN on the formation of a new government. 

President Radev also emphasised the consistent policy of ITN towards North Macedonia. In response, MP Toshko Yordanov called on President Radev to declassify the transcript of the Consultative Council on National Security of 10 March on the European perspective of the Republic of North Macedonia. "A pack of lies were told at that council", Toshko Yordanov said. However, Rumen Radev said that he would not declassify the transcript, in order to preserve the participants' freedom of opinion. 

President Radev also held consultations with “Democratic Bulgaria”. “It is very important to try to form a cabinet with the first government-forming mandate, because the highest hopes are pinned on it”, the coalition’s Co-chairman Hristo Ivanov said. MP Hristo Ivanov also noted that the focus on judicial reform should continue with broad agreement on its implementation. For his part, President Rumen Radev congratulated "Democratic Bulgaria" for its consistent policy with regard to the judicial reform and noted that if decisive reforms are not made in the first one hundred days, the status quo will seek a rematch. "The closure of the specialized jurisdictions is only the first step on this long and important road ahead," Rumen Radev added.

Finally, Bulgaria’s Head of State Radev met with representatives of “Vazrazhdane” party. The leader of “Vazrazhdane” Kostadin Kostadinov said that he will immediately return the third government-forming mandate, if President Radev decides to hand the mandate to his party. In his words, "the sooner early elections are held, the better for the country. Bulgaria has no more time to waste", said MP Kostadin Kostadinov.

"The cycle of consultations is now over. Next, the first political force is to receive a government-forming mandate”, President Radev said at the end of the consultations on the formation of a new cabinet.