site.btaUPDATED Bulgaria to Hold Snap Elections April 2

Bulgaria will hold snap general elections on April 2. The date was announced Tuesday by President Rumen Radev on the sidelines of a public event that he attended in the Sofia Central Military Club. 

Earlier on Tuesday, the President received the unfulfilled government mandate from the BSP for Bulgaria political group in Parliament after they failed to rally support among the other political parties for a Cabinet within this Parliament - thus paving the way to early general elections.

Those will be the fifth general elections in Bulgaria since April 2021.

"The elections will be on the first possible date when there will be no risk for machine voting, so as to make sure the law is observed. Every Bulgarian citizen should be able to choose whether to vote on a machine or with a paper ballot," Radev said.

He also said that he will issue a decree to dissolve Parliament on February 3 and schedule general elections on April 2.

Radev hopes that Parliament will use the little remaining time "to prove that the counter-corruption combat, the Recovery and Resilience Plan and European integration are real priorities and not just campaign promises".

Radev said he could not tell right now whether there will be any changes in the caretaker government.

Also on Tuesday, the President met with the leadership of the Central Election Commission to discuss the logistics of the elections.

Election administration officials said that the Central Election Commission will be ready to organize and hold elections on April while having them in late March will be a logistical challenge.