SOFIA, December 11, Reuters -- Bulgaria's centrist Prime Minister-designate Kiril Petkov told the president on Saturday that he had put together a broad coalition government that would take office on Monday to end a prolonged political impasse in the Balkan country.
Petkov's We Continue The Change PP party, which won the country's third national polls this year on Nov. 14, agreed on Friday to form a coalition with the Socialists, the populist ITN party and centre-right Democratic Bulgaria.
The deal raises prospects for reviving anti-corruption reforms in the EU's poorest member after a decade under the leadership of centre-right politician Boyko Borissov.
Petkov handed over his line-up of ministers to President Rumen Radev, saying afterwards he hoped his government will remain a reality in the next four years. The coalition currently has 134 seats, giving it a majority in the 240 seat parliament, which is expected to vote on Monday on Petkov's cabinet.
Petkov, a 41-year-old Harvard-educated entrepreneur, told reporters that his government would strengthen oversight of state institutions that were weakened under Borissov.
Bulgaria is in need of a lot of change. He said that we will make our utmost efforts to get the best people in the regulators and take urgent steps to overhaul the judiciary.
Bulgarians have looked to successive leaders to tackle corruption, but the country has a poor record in holding senior officials to account.
Assen Vassilev, a Harvard-educated business executive, will be Finance Minister.