Bulgaria’s foreign minister to form the next government in power-sharing deal

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has tapped the largest group in parliament, the center-right GERB-UDF coalition, to form the country’s new government. Radev handed the mandate to Maria Gabriel, the prime minister-designate under a power-sharing deal by the two main political parties, according to which each would hold the top job for nine months at a time. Earlier this month, Nikolay Denkov of the reformist coalition led by “We Continue the Change,” stepped down as prime minister after his nine months, paving the way for Gabriel, a former European Commissioner who served as deputy head of Denkov’s government and foreign minister.