Bulgarian center-right party rejects offer to form a gov’t

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria’s center-right GERB party of former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has rejected the president’s offer to form a government after last month’s inconclusive vote, pushing the country a step closer to a third election this year. The party returned the mandate to form a Cabinet without even holding talks with other parties, saying it saw no possibility of success. The president must make one more attempt, and if that fails he will have to appoint an interim government and call another election within two months. Analysts expect the result of any new poll to be similar to the previous one.