site.btaLack of Quorum Quashes Extraordinary Sitting of Parliament Called on Motion of Opposition

August 13 (BTA) - Parliament on Thursday failed to ensure
 the requisite quorum of 121 MPs to hold an extraordinary
sitting called on a motion of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist
 Party (BSP). Seventy-eight MPs had registered as present in the
 plenary chamber in the two registrations that were done.

The registrations were made by hand-written signatures, instead
of the customary electronic registration because as of September
 plenary sittings are to be held in another building of
Parliament and relocation works are underway.

After National Assembly Chairperson Tsveta Karayancheva said in
the plenary chamber that a sitting may not take place due to the
 lack of quorum, BSP MPs shouted, "Resign". Karayancheva replied
 that the Socialist MPs are wrong to shout "Resign" given that
the sitting is on their motion and that they failed to ensure
quorum.

The extraordinary sitting was to discuss a draft motion to table
 amendments to the 2020 State Budget Act with regard to
overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 crisis. BSP had also
requested a hearing of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and
Interior Minister Hristo Terziiski.

Before and during the registration process a small group of
protesters from the ongoing anti-government rallies threw eggs
to the Parliament building and the MPs that were coming for the
sitting. Some of the protesters wrangled with the police who
were guarding Parliament and with reporters.

Before the announced start of the extraordinary sitting, the
VMRO party, part of the power-sharing coalition United Patriots,
 issued a statement saying that the party's MPs will not attend
the sitting. "VMRO does not want to provide a battleground for
the internal party wars in the BSP for election of a new party
leader. We do not want to encourage the proven uncleanliness of
the BSP in their use of the institution for their own purposes,"
 the statement reads.

Commenting the failed sitting, BSP leader Kornelia Ninova said
that "GERB and the ruling majority performed a ritual suicide
out of fear". Ninova said also that "people saw how statehood is
 being dismantled and how their money is being stolen". "[Prime
Minister] Boyko Borissov has shown yet again disregard for the
rule of law because money can be handed out only with a
resolution of Parliament," Ninova said. She referred to big
amounts of public money the government promised to provide to
mitigate the impact of the coronavirus situation.

Ninova said also that "Borissov is buying his survival as Prime
Minister and buying time". She said that the BSP will discuss
whether to move for a new extraordinary sitting of Parliament.
RY/ZH
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