Bulgaria's Socialist leader nominates minority government

Bulgaria's Socialist Party (BSP) on Sunday nominated a minority coalition government including a party representing Bulgaria's ethnic Turks (MRF). The draft cabinet faces an uphill battle to survive a confidence vote in parliament next week.

Speaking at a party meeting BSP leader Sergey Stanishev, 39 unveiled the lineup of the would-be cabinet that incudes 13 Socialist and five MRF ministers.

The centrist National Movement Simeon II (NMSS) of outgoing Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha declined to joint the BSP-MRF coaltion last week.

The BSP won 82 seats in the 240-seat unicameral parliament in June 25 elections compared to the NMSS 54 seats and the MRF's 34 seats.

Stanishev can rely on 116 votes from the BSP-MRF coaltion and perhaps on one independent lawmaker. He is still short of the minimum 121-MP majority that his cabinet-designate needs to be elected.

Despite the uncertainty he pledged to make Bulgaria's admission in the European Union, which is scheduled for Jan. 2007 the top priority of his government.

Bulgaria has a shopping list of reforms it must accomplish to fully match membership requirements. The reforms include passing 20 new laws, including a new penal procedure code.

Stanishev nominated Ivailo Kalfin, a Sociaalist advisor to President Georgy Parvanov, as his deputy prime minister, foreign minister and minister for European integration.

He slated BSP spokesman Angel Naydenov for minister of defense and Socialist deputy leader Rumen Ovcharovas minister of economy and energy.

The MRF, which was the NMSS coalition ally in the outgoing government, gets the ministries of labor, agriculture, environment and state administration.

MRF leader Emel Etem is named deputy prime minister.