Bulgaria to hold 5th election in 2 years after talks fail

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria will hold its fifth parliamentary election in two years after the Socialist Party failed to form a government and returned the unfulfilled mandate to the country’s president. It was the third and final opportunity to form a Cabinet in this parliament. President Rumen Radev will now dissolve parliament, appoint a caretaker government and schedule another election, to be held most likely in April. Analysts expect another election will again produce a fragmented parliament that will struggle to find a compromise and cobble together a working coalition government. Bulgaria is the European Union’s poorest member.