June 17 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's parliamentary-represented parties agreed to open talks on holding early general elections between September 28 and October 12, president Rosen Plevneliev said on Tuesday.
"The parliamentary-represented political forces [...] taking into consideration the fact that the elections for members of the European Parliament failed to provide additional power and legitimacy to the government to carry out comprehensive reforms, and considering that the European elections failed to set a clear alternative, agreed on the need for smooth transition to political stability and the need to conduct political consultations on holding early elections in the September 28 - October 12 period," Plevneliev told a news conference after meeting with the leaders of the four parties represented in Bulgaria's National Assembly.
The cabinet of Plamen Oresharski is backed by the Socialists' Coalition for Bulgaria and the ethnic Turks' Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).
Earlier this month, MRF leader Lyutvi Mestan called for early general elections, saying the results of the recent elections for members of the European Parliament (EP) - in which the Socialists suffered a crushing defeat - created a new political reality in the country. In response, Coalition For Bulgaria leader Sergey Stanishev said that MRF having withdrawn its support for the government, early elections should be held as soon as possible.
GERB won the May 25 elections for EP by a decisive margin, polling 30.4% of the votes. The Coalition for Bulgaria was supported by a mere 18.9% of voters, followed closely by the MRF with 17.3%.
Over the past year GERB has repeatedly called for early general elections in the country.
The leaders of two other political formations which crossed the 5.88% threshold for entry into the EP - Bulgaria without Censorship and the Reformist Bloc - too have demanded snap elections.