The decree also announced the appointment of a caretaker government, led by current caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, to govern during the interim period.

Glavchev, 61, who previously served as head of the Bulgarian National Audit Office, was first appointed caretaker prime minister in April this year.

He briefly held the position of President of the National Assembly, Bulgaria’s parliament, in 2017.

The decision to hold new elections and appoint a caretaker government became necessary after the Bulgarian parliament failed to elect a regular cabinet in June.

This will be Bulgaria's seventh parliamentary election in three and a half years, a situation resulting from the parliament's ongoing inability to form a simple majority. (ILKHA)