site.btaSocialists Move for Expulsion of Parliament Chair

Sofia, Novemnber 16 (BTA) - The MPs of Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) for Bulgaria have moved a petition for the expulsion of Parliament Chair Dimiter Glavchev. They said they have collected 88 signatures in support of the petition and that MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms have joined forces with them.

This has been the Socialists' second attempt to precipitate the resignation of Dimiter Glavchev.

The BSP move follows political clashes between power-holders and opposition in Parliament Wednesday. They started when Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova asked Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to come to Parliament to clarify his allegation of a few days ago that there are people in Parliament involved in drug trafficking. The majority turned down this motion and Ninova took the floor to read out a declaration but the National Assembly Chair ordered her out for insulting the MPs and the Prime Minister. When the Socialist MPs started shouting "Resign! Resign!" and banging on the desks, Glavchev suspended Anton Koutev (BSP) for two sittings as well. Then the BSP deputies walked out and started the signature collection for Glavchev's expulsion.

Parliament's rule of procedure requires that a petition for the expulsion of the Chair is to be supported by at least a third of all 240 MPs to go to the plenary - provided that the leader of the executive has proven incapable of performing his duty or regularly oversteps his or her rights.

The expulsion motion is due to be put to the vote at the first sitting of Parliament after its submission - Friday in this case. Glavchev has the right to be given a hearing.

The expulsion motion needs to be supported by more than half of the attending deputies in order to go through.