Oresharski Government

After President Rosen Plevneliev invited the Bulgarian Socialist Party to form a government, the BSP nominated Plamen Oresharski to head the government and was joined by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms. The Council of Ministers was approved by the 120 members of the BSP and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, while GERB's 97 MPs voted against the government and Ataka's 23 MPs were absent from the session.[1] Outside support to the Oresharski government is also given by nationalist party Ataka.[2]

Only two weeks after its initial formation the government came under criticism and had to deal with country-wide protests by the citizens, with those in Sofia reaching up to 11 000 participants.[3] The reasons for these protests were largely the controversial appointment of media mogul Delyan Peevski as a chief of the National Security State Agency.[4] The protests have ended with the government's resignation.

The government survived three vote of no-confidences as of early 2014. The third vote was tabled by the opposition due to alleged mismanaging of refugees from the Syrian civil war and a failure to curb crime. Out of 217 voting MPs, the governing coalition voted to support the administration with 116 votes.[8]

In all, the government survived 5 votes of no-confidence before voluntarily resigning.[9]

Following an agreement from the three largest parties (GERB, BSP and DPS) to hold early parliamentary elections for 5 October 2014,[10] the cabinet was to resign by the end of July.[11]

On Wednesday 23 July, Oresharski's government submitted its resignation.[12] The next day parliament voted 180–8 (8 abstained and 44 were absent) to accept the government's resignation.[13] Following the vote, President Plevneliev offered the mandate to GERB to try and form government, but it was refused.[14] The next day the BSP returned the mandate as well.[15] On 30 July, the DPS refused the mandate as well.[16] Finally, on 6 August, a caretaker government led by Georgi Bliznashki was sworn into office and the Oresharski government was officially dissolved.

• 2013 Bulgarian protests against the Oresharski cabinet
• History of Bulgaria since 1989