Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov has said he will not stand to lead the next government.
Borissov s centre-right GERB party won the most seats in last week s election but fell well short of a majority.
But the long-serving prime minister said he would not divide the nation. I have always believed that unity makes strength, Borissov said in a statement on Wednesday. I will not be the candidate for prime minister, but I will propose another prime minister with a very clear European and NATO orientation.
Borissov said GERB would hold talks with other parties to form a coalition government, and promised a new cabinet of continuity and renewal .
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov s centre-right GERB party was leading results of the country s parliamentary election on Monday with an estimated 25.8% of the vote, the central electoral commission said.
But the three-time premier lost ground to protest parties amid accusations of endemic corruption. In comparison, his party had secured 33.5% of seats at the 2017 election.
Bulgarians voted Sunday in a parliamentary election widely seen as a referendum on Borissov after months of anti-government protests and amid a surge in coronavirus infections.
With 72% of ballots counted, the populist party There is Such a People led by TV entertainer Slavi Trifonov came in second with 18.2%. The Socialist Party was in third place with 14.9%.
It may prove difficult to build a working coalition in Bulgaria after a surprise kingmaker is set to take the political scene in Sofia by storm.
Known simply as SLAVI to most Bulgarians, Slavi Trifonov now leads the new anti-establishment party called There Is Such A People. Created last year during the anti-corruption protests, he could make it harder for incumbent Boyko Borissov to form a new coalition.
The newly formed party was expected to score big, but no one predicted how big. It could very well sweep aside the Socialist party and garner the second-largest share of seats behind prime minister Boyko Borissov s GERB party.