site.bta44th Parliament Sittings under Way

44th Parliament Sittings under Way

Sofia, April 26 (BTA) - At one of its first sittings after the elections the 44th National Assembly Wednesday terminated the authority vested in Movement for Rights and Freedoms MP Kamen Kostadinov at his request. The decision was passed without discussion with 211 MPs supporting it and one abstainee.

At the beginning of the sitting the Chairman of Parliament Dimiter Glavchev said that GERB MP Delyan Dobrev has submitted a declaration that he is giving up his MP immunity. Dobrev is a defendant in a case related to Belene N-plant.

The members of Parliament discussed the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the 44th National Assembly.

A new standing committee to supervise revenue agencies and fight grey economy and contraband was established. The parliamentary group of VOLYA voted against.

Each MP may be a member of only one parliamentary group, Parliament decided. According to the new text in the Rules, an MP may leave a parliamentary group after submitting a written statement addressed to the relevant floor leader and to the Chairman of the National Assembly. This, however means loss of place in standing committees and delegations as a representative of the respective parliamentary group.

MPs who leave or are dismissed from a parliamentary group may not declare affiliation or move to another group.

The requirement for a minimum of 10 MPs to form a parliamentary group remains. When the number drops under the minimum a parliamentary group shall cease to exist.

The motion of the left that the Chairman of the National Assembly be obligated to establish a Consultative Council on Legislation was not passed. The majority voted to preserve the text according to which there may be such a body at the discretion of the Chairman. Glavchev promised to establish such a council.


On a motion of the Bulgarian Socialist Party Parliament unanimously voted to include a decision to establish an enquiry committee to investigate the cases of unpaid employee salaries in its weekly programme. It also approved a draft decision to set up an ad hoc committee to establish the potentially hazardous and concrete cases of radioactive pollution of potable water on the territory of the country.