March 6 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's parliament on Wednesday accepted prime minister Nikolay Denkov's resignation, opening the way for a rotation of government agreed earlier under a power-sharing deal between the two biggest coalitions in parliament, GERB-UDF and WCC-DB.
The resignation was accepted in a 216-0 vote with no abstentions in the 240-seat National Assembly, as seen in a live TV broadcast from parliament.
Denkov, of WCC-DB, has led the government since June 6, 2023 and tendered his resignation to the National Assembly on Tuesday. His cabinet will continue to carry out its duties until a new prime minister is elected.
Under the power-sharing agreement, former Bulgarian EU Commissioner Mariya Gabriel of GERB-UDF, currently serving as sole deputy prime minister and foreign affairs minister, is set to take over the post of prime minister from Denkov for the next nine months.
Denkov's resignation complies with the terms set out in a joint declaration of GERB-UDF and WCC-DB before the government's formation, which mandates the rotation of the prime minister every nine months, the cabinet said in a statement on Wednesday. At the end of each nine-month term, the prime minister should resign, allowing the two parliamentary groups to vote and support the other formation's nominee.
Following the snap election held on April 2 last year, GERB-UDF has 69 seats in parliament, while WCC-DB controls 63.