Nearly three months after the country’s latest snap parliamentary election, Bulgaria’s parliament has approved a new coalition government. Led by Rossen Zhelyazkov, the new cabinet is supported by the centre-right GERB-SDS party of ex-Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, the left-wing BSP-United Left and the populist There is Such a Nation (ITN). The three parties control 107 of the 240 seats in parliament, with the Ahmed Dogan-led Turkish minority Alliance for Rights and Freedom (APS) providing external support and thus ensuring its majority in parliament.

The Zhelyazkov Cabinet includes three Deputy Prime Ministers: Tomislav Donchev, Atanas Zafirov and Grozdan Karadzhov, each representing one of the three coalition parties. GERB controls the largest number of ministerial portfolios (11), including foreign affairs, justice, finance, energy, defence, agriculture and e-governance. The BSP and the ITN each control four ministries.

Zhelyazkov’s top priorities will include stabilizing the 2025 budget and the country's public institutions, as well as requesting a convergence report to support Eurozone accession. At present, Sofia is expected to fully meet the only outstanding EU criterion (on price stability) by January 2025. If achieved, Bulgaria can request an extraordinary convergence report to confirm compliance with all conditions for joining the Eurozone, which is expected to happen in the upcoming days. Taking previous delays into account, a realistic possible date for Bulgaria to adopt the Euro is 1^st January, 2026.

The formation of Bulgaria’s new government comes after seven consecutive parliamentary elections, none of which was able to produce a stable cabinet. Accordingly, any policy progress during the current legislative term may be overshadowed by fractures within the three-party ruling bloc, while its parliamentary majority depends on external support in the National Assembly.