BULGARIA: Bulgaria plunged deeper into political crisis yesterday when the Socialist Party abandoned efforts to form a government and accused its right-wing opponents of jeopardising the country's stumbling drive to join the European Union in 2007.
Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev was approved as prime minister by just one vote in a parliamentary ballot, but then saw his proposed cabinet rejected by the same margin.
Hours of furious debate and behind-the-scenes horse-trading achieved nothing, and a final vote on the new government was scuttled when many right-wing deputies boycotted the voting session, invalidating the ballot.
Mr Stanishev and his would-be government partners, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), were furious with ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg and his allies, who lost last month's general election and reneged on a coalition deal at the last moment.
"Without the necessary majority in parliament, we have reached the conclusion that the Socialist Party's mandate for forming a government has been exhausted," said Mr Stanishev, while lambasting Mr Saxe-Coburg's party and the far-right Ataka group.
"The regular voting procedure for the cabinet was deliberately vitiated and blocked," by the actions of right-wing deputies, Mr Stanishev said.
"Their behaviour paralysed the normal functioning of the national assembly . . . and jeopardised Bulgaria's image in the world and its European future."
He also insisted that the election-winning Socialists and the third-placed MRF would not join a coalition led by Mr Saxe-Coburg's party, which came second in the election and will now be given a chance to form a viable coalition of its own.
"[ We] stick to our categorical position that, considering the choice made by the Bulgarian people, it is impossible to form a stable, European-style government . . . without the Socialist Party and MRF," Mr Stanishev said.
Barring a change of mind from the MRF, Mr Saxe-Coburg's party will struggle to muster enough parliamentary support for a government, making snap elections a distinct possibility.
"Early elections will be almost unavoidable," said Kancho Stoichev, an analyst for Gallup.
"We will see a repeat of the current situation, as Simeon does not have the necessary votes." An election would probably be held in autumn, just when the EU is set to deliver its latest report on how Bulgaria is implementing reforms crucial to its bid for accession.
"Time is important," said EU spokesman Amadeo Tardio, adding that Brussels was closely monitoring reforms in Bulgaria and fellow 2007 candidate Romania.