site.btaUPDATED Parliament Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov Voted out of Office
The National Assembly removed its chairman Rosen Zhelyazkov from office on Thursday. His dismissal was proposed by MPs of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and BSP for Bulgaria, who accused him of systematically failing to discharge his duties.
The decision was supported by the votes of 129 MPs of CC-DB, BSP for Bulgaria, Vazrazhdane, and There Is Such a People (TISP), and opposed by 103 MPs of GERB-UDF and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF).
According to the reasoning for the proposal, Zhelyazkov breached the procedure for the dismissal of the head of the National Health Insurance Fund, Stanimir Mihailov; systematically abused the law as per Article 48, Paragraph 5 of the Rules of Organization and Procedure of the National Assembly; and committed violations related to question time in the legislature as per Article 105 of the Rules.
Minutes before stepping down, Zhelyazkov told the lawmakers: "Dear colleagues, I was honoured to chair the 49th National Assembly."
He commented: "Sometimes you have to keep silent to make yourself heard. All of us in this chamber are people who were put in this position by other people to work for the people. As humans, we have our passions, but as deputies of the people, we have a responsibility."
Zhelyazkov’s dismissal triggered reactions among the politicians in Parliament:
Kiril Petkov, co-leader of Continue the Change (CC): This act was not against Rosen Zhelyazkov as a person, it was against Rosen Zhelyazkov as Chairman of the National Assembly, who repeatedly and systematically violated the rules of the Assembly. He acted upon orders by MRF leader Delyan Peevski and GERB leader Boyko Borissov. On more than one occasion, they gave him instructions from the front row.
Atanas Atanassov, co-leader of Democratic Bulgaria (DB): The concrete reason was Zhelyazkov's insistence that the National Assembly should take a vote to bring down the head of the National Health Insurance Fund.
Boyko Borissov, leader of GERB: I want to congratulate my fellow MPs of Vazrazhdane, CC-DB, and BSP for their new coalition with TISP. They have made things much easier for me as there will be no more questions about MRF, CC, or "assemblages". I expect to see at least five or six more caretaker governments serve one after the other. We will be a dignified opposition. I hope the people will now see what everyone is doing.
Korneliya Ninova, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP): Dear people's deputies from GERB, you should have known better than to try to draw BSP into your mud-wrestling fights with CC and DB. I say this from the position of being the only person in Bulgaria who has declined to chair the National Assembly. It was an offer from [GERB leader] Boyko Borissov, which I declined back in 2018, because I believe that the GERB governance model is a major evil for Bulgaria emanating from Borissov himself. We have refused to cooperate with GERB ever since.
Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of Vazrazhdane: The biggest systematic violation was committed again on Wednesday, when the motion of no confidence in the government was blocked, which is why we demanded Rosen Zhelyazkov's resignation.
/KK/
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