site.bta50th National Assembly Adjourns after Failing to Elect Chair

Bulgaria's 50th National Assembly adjourned its inaugural sitting after failing to elect a chair of the legislature. The MPs will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Four nominations for head of Parliament were entered: Raya Nazaryan of GERB-UDF, Petar Petrov of Vazrazhdane, Silvi Kirilov of There Is Such a People (TISP), and Yuliana Mateeva of Velichie (Grandeur).

In the first round of voting, Nazaryan (115 in favour, 69 against and 53 abstentions) and Petrov (41 in favour, 112 against and 85 abstentions) remained in the race as the top vote-getters.

In the second round, the vote was 115-69 with 53 abstentions for Nazaryan and 41-12 with 85 abstentions for Petrov.

Under the Constitution, electing a chairperson of the National Assembly requires a simple majority of the 240 MPs present. GERB-UDF have 68 seats, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms 47, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria 39, Vazrazhdane 38, BSP for Bulgaria 19, TISP 16, and Velichie (Grandeur) 13.