The outgoing deputy prime minister, Mariya Gabriel, is to be handed a mandate for the formation of a government on Monday. The president postponed the ceremony until March 18 because of two days of national mourning following the death of Patriarch Neophyte.

On Monday, either we go to President Rumen Radev with a folder (with the names of the ministers - ed.) as a result of negotiations, or we know immediately that we are going to new elections, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said a few days ago.

I would really be very happy if we got a file with a strong Council of Ministers made up of responsible people, Vice-President Iliana Iotova told journalists in Edirne. "Never again should there be blood letters about the dismissal of ministers. Let's see what the budget situation really is, because consultations between political parties have shown that what is publicly presented as budget parameters is not true," Iotova said.