Bulgaria: caretaker government until October early election

By VESELIN TOSHKOV
Associated Press

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has appointed a caretaker government until Oct. 2 early parliamentary elections in order to stave off a political and economic crisis in the country. Radev’s move on Monday comes after the three largest political groups failed to find common ground for a viable coalition majority to settle the European Union and NATO member’s latest political impasse amid soaring tensions with Russia.  The collapse of the reformist coalition in June, helped pave the way toward a new election, the fourth since April 2021, which analysts expect will bring a stronger presence of nationalist and pro-Russia groups into a fragmented parliament.