A New Bulgarian Government Begins to Coalesce

On Nov. 5, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev officially gave Boyko Borisov, the head of the center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, a mandate to form a new government. Last-minute talks are ongoing, but it is likely that GERB will form a coalition with several smaller right-leaning parties.

The new government will struggle to address Bulgaria's challenges, which include the possibility of renewed social unrest, an ongoing banking crisis and the difficulty of maintaining good ties with both Russia and the European Union. A coalition government under Borisov will lobby Brussels to allow for the construction of the Russia-led South Stream pipeline, but it ultimately will not risk losing EU investment and aid by proceeding with the project without EU approval.