site.btaMPs, Government, Government Agency Chiefs without Pay during National COVID Emergency

ESD 23:17:01 06-04-2020
LN2328ES.122
122 POLITICS - PARLIAMENT - MPs - WAGES

MPs, Government, Government Agency Chiefs
without Pay during National
COVID Emergency


Sofia, April 6 (BTA) - The MPs, the government, the members of the political offices and the chiefs of state agencies in Bulgaria will go without pay from April 1 until the end of the national emergency over the COVID-19 epidemic. The decision was voted by the legislature late on Monday after 11 hours of debates.

The no-pay decision was supported by 170 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament.

All wages of the said officeholders will go in a Health Ministry account to be used for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus patients.

The MPs had only been expected to approve a proposed freeze of their wages at their December 2019 level. Giving up all pay was proposed by Krassimir Tsipov (GERB) after the MPs debat proposed changes in the national emergency law. The proposal incorporated ideas of the National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria and of Yordan Tsonev of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms.

The opposition Socialist party withdrew its proposal for a freeze at the level of wages from the end of the previous Parliament.

Volya, too, gave up their idea for lowering deputies' wages to the level of the minimum pay in this country.

The power-sharing United Patriots followed suit: their proposal for the wages of MPs and the government membetrs to be halved was pulled out.

The national emergency is due to last until May 13 after the initial by-date was extended by a month.

MPs' wages are equal to three average public-sector wages. They were due to be increased as of April 1 to become nearly 4,300 leva.