site.btaParliament Back in Session after Year-end Recess

January 13 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Parliament Wednesday is back in session after its year-end recess. In an address to MPs, National Assembly Chair Tsveta Karayancheva urged parties to avoid suggestions about manipulation of the upcoming general elections, as this is hurting democracy. The political groups read their traditional declarations to set out their priorities during the new session, and thе upcoming elections featured prominently in all declarations.

This is the last session of this 44th legislature. A new parliament will be elected in elections which are expected to take place between Mach 28 and May 28.

MPs from the opposition BSP for Bulgaria did not register for the start of the sitting.

"I call on you to avoid suggestions about a risk of manipulation of the election results. The biggest loser will be Bulgarian democracy," said Parliament Chair Tsveta Karayancheva in her opening remarks. She expressed the same message on Thursday when representatives of the ruling party GERB met with President Rumen Radev within the framework of his election consultations.

Karayancheva recalled that as early as in September 2020 she sent letters to EU institutions to invite observer missions at Bulgaria's general elections.

In their declaration in Parliament, GERB reiterated their call to the President to decide as quickly as possible on the date of the elections. GERB floor leader Daniela Daritkova said: "The last session begins in the situation of a health crisis, caused by the coronavirus. It is this and not protests and attacks by the parliamentary and extraparliamentary opposition or attacks by various oligarchs that is the big challenge before the ruling majority."

In her words, the health crisis and the mitigation of its effects on the economy are the only possible priority for the government and the ruling coalition.

She slammed the opposition for aiming "to throw the state and society into chaos and anarchy" and thanked fellow MPs who ensured the normal work of Parliament by attending sittings. She also recalled the President's appeal at the start of the previous session of this Parliament for the legislature to be disbanded and thus leave the country "without Parliament and regular government at the peak of the health crisis". Time has proven "the groundlessness of his calls then", and the incumbent took on the political negatives of not coming down in order to be able to taking important decisions at a difficult time for the country and avoid a political crisis on top of the health and economic crisis, said Daritkova.

According to her, during last summer and autumn's protests GERB heeded to the voice of protesters but "at the same time saw the inability of their political leadership for formulate significant goals".

Now GERB are ready to see the assessment of Bulgarian voters, Daritkova said.

She underscored two things among the accomplishments of her party: a double increase of teachers' salaries, which put education among the principal long-term priorities of the nation, and the consensus on the conditions for the start of negotiations between the EU and the Republic of North Macedonia. With regards to the latter she thanked GERB's opponents for the support.

The GERB floor leader called for the preservation of the few fields of political consensus after the elections and said that despite the political differences GERB "will continue to view the opposition not as enemies but as opponents and representatives of large groups of Bulgarian society."

As she presented her group's declaration, Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova said they demand a report by the government about the state it is leaving Bulgaria in: "not one for the purposes of television, but a real report". "During these four years, you continued to build two parallel Bulgarias: one televized and one real," said Ninova. "We know that after the elections there will be a change," the socialist leader said, adding that BSP will work for fair and transparent elections.

Ninova said there are two key tasks during the remaining months in Parliament's life: demand a report on how much money has been spent during the ongoing crisis and how many people helped, and see the adoption of National Recovery and Resilience Plan. She highlighted the Socialists' proposals for the plan.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) said that these elections will decide how fast the country will cope with the crisis which according to them "is created by GERB via the GERB virus which destroys democracy". MRF leader Mustafa Karadayi said that the upcoming elections are probably the most important since 1989 when Bulgaria began its transition to democracy and market economy. He blasted the ruling GERB party for their government calling it "a contradictory and inconsistent period in our latest history - a government without reforms and direction".

Also, Karadayi spoke about "a democracy in decline", "increasing tension", "growing division", "outrageous spending" and a budget serving election purposes. The changes voted to the Election Code have created conditions for the election process to be hampered and for political instability after the vote, which is typical of GERB's government, said Karadayi. According to him, while the existing problems are not solved, more problems are created.

The crisis in its health, social, economic, institutional and political aspects requires tough measures and actions, he said. To that the MRF leader added the growing distrust in the election process, which calls for responsible attitude for the sake of peace and democracy. The MRF called on all politicians and the civil society to get involved for the sake of Bulgaria's future.

Similarly to BSP for Bulgaria, the MRF are sure that the elections will put an end to GERB's government.

The MRF will responsibly present its pogramme for accelerated economic development, will work for clean air, water and energy, high technology, and will participate actively to implement EU's Green Deal package, it transpired from Karadayi's statement.

The MRF leader urged participants in the election not to forget that dialogue after the elections depends on the rhetoric during the election campaign.

United Patriots said that they won't allow a change in the election rules on the eve of the parliamentary elections. United Patriots co-floor leader Iskren Vesselinov said that the coalition is categorically opposed to the idea about postal voting and the scrapping of the limit of 35 voting sections in non -EU countries.

"Today, we won't allow for someone to make a present of 10-15 MPs to the new old favourites of the Turkish sultan: the MRF," said Vesselinov.

Among the priorities of the last parliamentary session he outlined three aspects of the Penal Code: criminalizing preaching of radical Islam, broadening the scope of justified self-defence, reformulating the definition of minor theft, as well as the adoption of the personal bankruptcy act.

Volya spoke about the past parliamentary session and concrete legislation proposals (free medicines for children and pensioners and a chain of state owned petrol stations), and about the date of the elections, which according to Volya deputy floor leader Krastina Taskova doesnТt matter because her party always works for the people.

Taskova also said: "Today you once again speak about unity but what you are doing is just the opposite. We'll once again say to you: before we unite for the sake of a better future for the people and the state, we should get divided." She added that this division should be made according to one principle: capability, knowledge and a desire to make Bulgarians richer and happier.

New Left Political Project

Independent MP Krassimir Yankov announced the establishment of a new left political project - the Bulgarian Democratic Line party. He made a statement from the parliamentary rostrum on behalf of a group of MPs who call themselves a Group of the Progressive Socialists, and who are non-aligned after leaving the BSP for Bulgaria group over disagreement with the leadership.

Yankov said that parties follow the interests of their elites and not the agenda of the people and that the parliamentary quorum has become an instrument for political pressure. "We received support from an increasing number of people who want change. That's why we are creating a new left political project - the Bulgarian Progressive Line party," he said. LN/PP


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