Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev handed the third and final exploratory government-forming mandate to “BSP for Bulgaria”. The Chairman of the parliamentary group of BSP for Bulgaria, Georgi Svilenski, accepted the mandate.

"The soclaist party has shown its ability to seek consensus", said Bulgaria's head of state. In his words, Bulgarian politicians should be guided by the values that are on the Bulgarian Sosialist Party's priority list - justice, solidarity and freedom. The constitution does not set any deadline for the implementation of the third mandate.  

The leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Kornelia Ninova said that the Prime Minister- designate should be nominated by the largest parliamentary group, "We Continue the Change". BSP will hold talks with "We Continue the Change" first. BSP will also hold talks with "Democratic Bulgaria" and "There is Such a People". However, it will not negotiate with GERB, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms and Vazrazhdane.

If the third mandate is not fulfilled, President Rumen Radev will have to dissolve the 47th National Assembly, appoint his fourth caretaker government and schedule new early elections, probably for early October.

• President Rumen Radev hands over third government-forming mandate