Bulgaria's parliament ended a post-election deadlock on Tuesday by voting in a centre-left government that pledged to tackle reforms for timely EU entry and improve the poor Balkan state's living standards. The three largest parties to emerge from inconclusive June 25 elections broke a seven-week stalemate on Monday that threatened to spark early polls and certain delay to Bulgaria's plans to join the wealthy bloc in 2007.
"We have three main priorities: to overcome the delay on EU-related reforms, to promote real economic growth, and to take responsibility for solving citizens' problems," Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said before being approved and sworn in.
The coalition, backed by Stanishev's Socialists, ex-king Simeon Saxe-Coburg's ousted centrists, and the mostly ethnic Turkish MRF, used its 169 of parliament's 240 seats to approve the cabinet in a three-stage vote.
Their pact ended a damaging power vacuum that bogged down reforms and prompted warnings from Brussels that the Black Sea state's membership in the Union could be delayed until 2008.
Media have slammed the Socialists and centrists for dragging out the crisis, which coalition insiders attributed mostly to demands from the ex-king's party that he retain a key government role despite losing the June vote.
Banished by the Socialists' former incarnation, the Communists, in 1947 at age 9, Saxe-Coburg returned to win 2001 elections. But a failure to end rampant corruption, organised crime and poverty pushed him to second behind the Socialists.
Now without a cabinet post or seat in parliament, he will stay in charge of his party and exert influence through the coalition leaders' council. Analysts expect him to run for president next year against the incumbent, Georgi Parvanov.
Despite public anger at the protracted dispute, analysts said western-oriented cabinet picks gave the ruling grouping a strong chance of finding cohesion and getting work done.