site.btaNew Bulgarian Parliament Holds Inaugural Sitting

114 POLITICS - PARLIAMENT - START amplified 3

New Bulgarian Parliament
Holds Inaugural
Sitting


Sofia, October 27 (BTA) - The oldest MP in the new Bulgarian
Parliament, Stefan Danailov, rang the bell to open the inaugural
sitting of the 43rd National Assembly on Monday and led the
members in taking the oath of office.

Danailov urged the MPs to work for unity "because nothing is
more important than the well-being of the nation and joint
efforts are the only way to go there". He said that the
principles of democracy are being overlooked and urgent steps
need to be taken towards national salvation.

The guests of honour at the inaugural sitting included Prime
Minister Georgi Bliznashki, Patriarch Neophyte of the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church, the Chief Mufti of Bulgarian Muslims, Mustafa
Haji, Members of the European Parliament and Diplomats.

President's Address

"Bulgaria does not need messiahs who decide single-handedly what
is right and what is wrong, there is no magic formula to take
us to the road to prosperity without a concerted effort,"
President Rosen Plevneliev said, addressing Parliament and the
nation at the first sitting of the 43rd National Assembly.

"The solution is to work to the benefit of people, to respect
strictly the principles of the law-based State and the
separation of powers," the President pointed out.

"To restore trust in the institutions, parties and
parliamentarianism, we must publicly and responsibly deliver on
our promises. The people had its say by voting, now it's the
politicians' move," the head of State said. "Whether we like the
results or not, we must read them correctly and find the
solutions," he noted, adding that "the people want a functioning
State guaranteeing fairness, social protection and observance
of the rules by all."

"The campaign battles are over, we are now facing reality and
the difficult but important decisions that lie ahead,"
Plevneliev said. He hopes that the National Assembly will turn
into an institution "where political forces clash ideas and
arguments and leave behind them their personal and partisan
clashes".

"None of the steps important for the State can be taken without
a working Parliament," the President insisted. He added that
Bulgaria needs a working Parliament and a regular government.

Plevneliev called for broad political consensus, urgent
anti-crisis steps and meaningful structural reforms. "Now that
we have eight parties in Parliament, each political force must
stress its ability to make concessions," he pointed out. He sees
the priorities of the National Development Programme "Bulgaria
2020" as the basis for this consensus.

He urged for a higher level of political and institutional
stability, warning that time is running out for solving a
plethora of outstanding problems. "Debts and deficits are
mounting, and investments are at disappointing levels," the head
of State added.

He welcomed the new approach of dialogue, of comparing positions
and seeking agreement that the political forces demonstrated
before the new National Assembly was constituted. "This approach
contributes to trust and greater stability," in his opinion. "I
hope that this approach will not be abandoned after a cabinet
is formed but will provide a foundation for broad political
support for reforms and actions in the public interest," the
President emphasized.

In his words, "the broad support for nationally responsible
policies will restore Bulgarians' trust in institutions." "It is
quite possible that Bulgaria will be governed by coalitions for
years ahead. This is not bad," he argued.

Plevneliev stressed that the budget update and the Corpbank case
are only part of a long list of urgent tasks. "The budget has
to be updated urgently, lest vital systems in the State are
blocked," he noted. "If the truth about Corpbank is covered up,
Bulgaria's hijacked transition will continue for many more
years. The entire Corpbank model must come to light, it must be
dismantled rather than reproduced," the President insisted.

Chairperson, Deputy Chairs Elected

Tsetska Tsacheva of GERB was elected Chairperson of the 43rd
National Assembly. She was the only nominee for the office. The
vote was 219 in favour, 12 against and one abstention.

Tsacheva's nomination was presented by GERB Chairman Boyko
Borissov, who recalled that he had offered Bulgarian Socialist
Party leader and former National Assembly Chairman Mihail Mikov
to assume this position, but he had declined.

Angel Naydenov MP of BSP Left Bulgaria said that his
parliamentary group will back Tsacheva's nomination not only
because of the election results and Tsacheva's experience (she
served as Chair of the 41st National Assembly, 2009-2013) but
because "it realizes the need to signify the new relations in
the new Parliament, a new political and parliamentary conduct
expected and sought by Bulgarian citizens, a conduct that
abandons hostility and hate, does not rule out confrontation and
differences, but does not include primitive aggression and
antagonism."

All 235 MPs present voted unanimously to elect eight Deputy
Chairpersons of the 43rd National Assembly, one of each
parliamentary group: Dimiter Glavchev of GERB, Yanaki Stoilov of
BSP Left Bulgaria, Aliosman Imamov of the Movement for Rights
and Freedoms, Ivan Ivanov of the Reformist Bloc, Krassimir
Karakachanov of the Patriotic Front, Yavor Haitov of the
Bulgarian Democratic Centre, Yavor Notev of Ataka, and Rossitsa
Yanakieva of ABV. VI, LI/LN, LG

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