Bulgarian government collapses with no-confidence vote
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The pro-NATO government has been toppled.
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Bulgarian parliament
On Wednesday, the Bulgarian government collapsed as a no-confidence vote in parliament threw the country into political turmoil as inflation surges and war in Ukraine brews.
Opposition lawmakers overthrew the government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, which came into power six months ago on a 123-116 vote. The ruling coalition lost majority over a plethora of issues, including budget spending and North Macedonia's accession to the European Union.
Petkov had promised to combat corruption, while also taking a strong pro-European and pro-NATO position since Russia's military operation in Ukraine, which has been unusual considering that Bulgaria has friendly ties with Moscow. A new government, according to analysts, may bring a more neutral policy toward Russia.
"This vote is only one small step in a very long way," Petkov said following the vote. "What they fail to understand is that this is not the way to win the Bulgarian people."
Bulgaria will be facing its fourth general election since mid-2021, risking millions of euros from EU recovery funds and plans to adopt the currency in 2024.
The political turmoil, in addition, will hinder Bulgaria's efforts to secure stable natural gas inflows after Russia cut deliveries, noting that Bulgaria is almost fully reliant on Russian gas. Sofia has refused to pay for Russian gas in rubles.
Furthermore, Petkov rejected coalition talks with opposition parties in the chamber but will be seeking defections from lawmakers in the parliament to gather support for a new government and avoid early elections.
The Bulgarian President, Rumen Radev, will have to call early elections in the coming 2 months and appoint a caretaker administration if Petkov fails to muster a majority for a new cabinet - and if two other parliament parties weren't able to form a government.
