SOFIA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- GERB-UDF coalition, the largest political force with 67 seats in the newly elected 240-member Bulgarian Parliament, failed to form a new government here on Wednesday.
As many as 113 members of the Parliament backed Nikolay Gabrovsky the GERB-UDF's nominee for prime minister, while 125 voted against.
According to the Bulgarian Constitution, the National Assembly shall elect government by a majority of more than half of the present legislators.
The task of forming a government now goes to the second-largest force in the parliament, "We Continue the Change" (PP) coalition, which won 53 seats.
In the snap elections held on Oct. 2, GERB-UDF and PP were followed by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 36 seats, the Revival party with 27 seats, a coalition led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) with 25 seats, the Democratic Bulgaria (DB) coalition with 20 seats, and the Bulgarian Rise party with 12 seats.
PP, BSP and DB were the pillars of the previous ruling coalition, whose government led by Kiril Petkov was ousted in a no-confidence vote on June 22, and the parliamentary parties failed to form a new cabinet.
Petkov's government was elected in December 2021. ■