(Bloomberg) -- Bulgarian lawmakers ended a month-long deadlock over the appointment of a parliamentary speaker as the effort to form a government after a snap vote in October grinds on.
Parties agreed on Friday to appoint Nataliya Kiselova, a Socialist party lawmaker and associate professor in constitutional law, as speaker. The move came after repeated failures to reach a compromise, underscoring the ongoing political crisis in the Balkan country, which has held seven elections since 2021.
Kiselova’s appointment opens the path to formally start negotiations to build a government. President Rumen Radev now has to hand the mandate to the party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, allowing him to try to find backing for a cabinet.
But a new election early next year can’t be ruled out. Borissov said last week he won’t seek the premiership and won’t try to form a cabinet. If Borissov indeed fails or refuses, Radev will invite the second-largest faction to try. If that fails, a third party of Radev’s choice will make a last attempt before the president calls a new snap vote.
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