Bulgarian President asks coalition to form govt.

SOFIA: Bulgarian President Rumen Radev asked the We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) coalition, the country's second largest force in Parliament, to form a government.

Radev handed the exploratory mandate to Nikolai Denkov, the PP-DB's nominee for Prime Minister, reports Xinhua news agency.

"In the coming days, we will be negotiating with the other parliamentary forces in order to be able to form a regular government," said Denkov, whose coalition holds 64 seats in the 240-member Parliament.

"I hope this sincere effort of ours will be supported," Denkov said.

Denkov has seven days to propose a government, which will then need the backing of parliament in a simple majority vote.

Radev first entrusted on May 15 the task of forming a new government to the GERB-UDF coalition, the country's largest political force, which holds 69 seats, but it failed to secure a parliamentary majority.

Should the PP-DB also fail to form a government, the president shall entrust the task to one of the four minor parliamentary groups.

If no agreements can be reached, the President will call new parliamentary elections.