site.btaUPDATED BSP for Bulgaria Demand Resignation of National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov

Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Korneliya Ninova told journalists on Friday that her party demands the resignation of National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov.

Zhelyazkov issued an order which stipulates that all press conferences, briefings, meetings with journalists, round tables, discussions and other similar events be held in the National Assembly only with a motivated proposal of the chair of the relevant parliamentary group or committee. Ninova argued that the order was due to the BSP’s announced desire to disclose details of the BOTAS report and send it to the Bulgarian and European prosecution services. 

In order to meet with you and outsiders, we have to ask for permission from the National Assembly Chair, Ninova pointed out and clarified that the BSP has already requested and received permission for Friday's meeting, where they will present the BOTAS report.

On Thursday, Ninova said that a report drawn on the contract t between the Bulgarian state-owed natural gas supplier Bulgargaz and the Turkish energy company BOTAS has established serious corruption that is detrimental to the Bulgarian state and people.

Ninova stressed that this is an unprecedented violation of the rights of the opposition. “They closed the parliament for a month, took away our right to parliamentary control over the ministers and now to top it all is this absurd order,” she said.

On his part, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov commented that the changes in the rules for the internal order of the National Assembly restrict only individual representatives from using the parliamentary building, sue to the current parliamentary election campaign.  Imagine 240 MPs using the building for pre-election events, he commented and specified that committees and parliamentary groups will have an unlimited opportunity to use it.