BELGRADE, Serbia

The Bulgarian president said in a decree on Tuesday that the country will hold early general elections on April 2, as the 48th parliament failed to form a government.

Rumen Radev announced that he will dissolve the parliament as of Feb 3.

Bulgaria will hold early general elections for the 5th time in the last two years.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party returned its government-forming mandate to Radev on Tuesday after failing to put together a new coalition, paving the way for new elections.

The political crisis in Bulgaria started after the general elections in April 2021. Due to the inability to assemble a ruling coalition, Bulgarian voters went to the polls in July and November of 2021, and also in October 2022.

Since April 2021, the country has been ruled by interim governments.

Radev asked several political parties with representation in the 240-seat parliament to form the government, but to no avail.

The president first assigns the parties that rank first and second, respectively, in parliamentary elections, to form a government. If they fail, a third political party is asked to cobble together a coalition. And if the third attempt also does not succeed, an early vote is announced.