Bulgaria’s Borissov says he will not stand as candidate PM

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said Wednesday he will not seek to lead the next government after his centre-right GERB party won the most votes in last week’s parliamentary elections but fell short of a majority.

Borissov, 61, who has governed with an iron grip for most of the last 11 years, said that he would not “divide” the nation and will propose “another candidate for prime minister with a clear European and NATO orientation.”

He later said on his Facebook profile that he will nominate former foreign minister Daniel Mitov, 43, as the next PM.

Hours before the 240 newly elected legislators convene for the first parliamentary session, most political groups have rejected the idea of co-operating with GERB.

Borissov, however, insisted that his party would hold talks to form a new coalition government of “continuity and renewal.”

Experts are predicting that it could take weeks of talks to form a viable coalition, and do not exclude the possibility of another election.