SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria's president will start consultations with parliamentary groups next week on forming a new cabinet following the collapse of the government in nationwide anti-corruption protests.
Rosen Zhelyazkov’s minority government had survived six no-confidence votes since it was appointed in January, only to be toppled in the street protests on Thursday by tens of thousands.
President Rumen Radev is set to invite the biggest group in parliament for talks on forming a government. If that fails, the second-largest grouping will get its chance before the president chooses a candidate. If all attempts fail — which is likely — he will appoint a caretaker cabinet until a new election is held in two months.
Analysts expect another election — the eighth since 2021 — would likely produce a deeply fragmented parliament and more political instability as Bulgaria readies to join the common European currency on Jan. 1.
Fears of inflation, reportedly fueled by a disinformation campaign by Moscow, have dampen enthusiasm for the euro. Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007.
In a last-moment effort to block the country’s path to the euro, the pro-Russian Vazrazhdane party submitted in parliament a draft resolution requesting a one-year postponement of Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone, citing the absence of a new budget and political instability.
Chances are slim the resolution will pass, but such motions reflect the tensions that are expected to grow until the next election that could change Bulgaria’s pro-Western course.
Analysts expect Radev to form a new party ahead of the next parliamentary election. The left-leaning Radev has criticized the pro-Western government’s support for Ukraine.
“In Bulgaria, the political forces that can stop the Kremlin’s plan to control our country are divided by another major problem in Bulgarian politics," political analyst Ognyan Minchev said, referring to the bickering between the main pro-Western parties over domestic policies.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announces that Bulgaria's government resigns following mass protests, at the Bulgarian Parliament in Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (Bulgarian News Agency via AP)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s president on Saturday warned neighboring Afghanistan’s Taliban government that it had “ crossed a red line ” by launching drone attacks on civilian areas in Pakistan and said the administration in Kabul has brought “grave consequences upon itself.”
The statement by Asif Ali Zardari was the latest in what has become the deadliest fighting yet between the two neighbors. The cross-border clashes, which erupted late last month, have shown no signs of abating despite efforts by China and Turkey to broker a ceasefire.
Pakistan said its forces intercepted the drones launched on Friday but that falling debris injured two children in the city of Quetta and two people elsewhere in the country.
On Friday, the Afghan Taliban government accused Pakistan of conducting airstrikes in Kabul, the country's capital, and other areas in eastern Afghanistan, saying at least six civilians were killed and 15 other were injured.
Hours later, Kabul claimed its air force responded by targeting military installations near Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, and in northwestern Pakistan.
Pakistan denied targeting civilians, saying its operations are focused on Pakistani Taliban militants and their support networks. Islamabad has referred to the conflict as an "open war” — adding to concerns among the international community about regional stability as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has engulfed the Middle East and beyond.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that Pakistani aircraft also struck fuel depots belonging to the private airline Kam Air near the airport in the southern city of Kandahar, which he said supplies civilian and U.N. flights.
Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban government of harboring Pakistani militant groups — mainly the Pakistani Taliban — that cross the porous volatile border between the two countries to stage attacks against Pakistani forces and also of allying with its archrival, India. Kabul denies harboring militant groups.
On Friday, a roadside bomb targeting Pakistani police killed seven officers in the northwestern district of Lakki Mawat.
Zardari slammed the government in Kabul.
“While the Afghan terrorist regime seeks negotiations with our friendly countries, it crossed a red line by attempting to target our civilians," he said.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday on X that its defense forces along the border in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar captured a Pakistani post and killed 14 Pakistani soldiers. In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Information Ministry said the claim was baseless.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s spokesman, Mosharraf Zaidi, said the “Afghan Taliban are spending more time weaving fantasies" than they are getting rid of "terrorist organizations enjoying Afghan Taliban regime hospitality.”
He said on X that such propaganda would not force Pakistan to end its counterterrorism operations. “Only the end of terrorism from Afghan soil to Pakistan will,” he said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday urged for a peaceful resolution of the Afghanistan-Pakistan dispute, warning the use of force worsens tensions and threatens regional stability. His remarks were reported Saturday by China’s official Xinhua News Agency, which said Wang had spoken with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Wang said China’s special envoy is shuttling between the two countries in an effort to promote restraint and encourage a ceasefire. Muttaqi said Afghanistan seeks regional peace and does not want a military conflict, adding that dialogue remains the only solution and urging China to play a greater role.
A Qatari-mediated ceasefire in October briefly reduced tensions, but subsequent talks in Turkey failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Qahar reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Residents and Taliban police gather the remains of a projectile at the site of a strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Barackatullah Popal)
People attend the funeral prayers of police officers, killed in the roadside bomb explosion, outskirts of Lakki Marwat, a district in northwest Pakistan, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/G.A. Marwat)
Residents inspect the site of a strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Barackatullah Popal)
