site.btaTISP, Socialists Move for Cancelling Parliament's Recess in August

MPs of There Is Such a People and BSP for Bulgaria have moved for cancelling Parliament's summer recess in August. The draft resolution is visible on Parliament's website.

According to Parliament's rules of procedure, Parliament takes a break from December 22 to January 10, for ten days for Easter and from August 1 to 31.

The  summer recess was discussed at a meeting of Parliament's presiding body on Thursday and proved to be a contentious issue.  Delyan Peevski of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms said the matter would be decided on Friday.

In comments for the press, representatives of the political groups in Parliament were divided on the matter, with some saying that Parliament is not doing any meaningful work and it is better to start preparing for elections, while others insisted that there are bills and problems that need to be addressed by the legislature without delay.

There Is Such a People (TISP) floor leader Toshko Yordanov was the first to tell the press Thursday that Parliament's presiding body mulled taking a summer break and only his party and BSP for Bulgaria insisted that the MPs should continue working through August. "There are so many pressing bills and problems and yet four parliamentary groups want summer recess," said Yordanov.

Asked to confirm the information, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said that this Parliament has produced nothing in the past one and a half months, and the MPs only use the opportunity for free media appearances. "Do we really have to work this way. Isn't it better to take recess and start working for our parties: they have to start presenting to people what they are doing," he added.

MRF floor leader Delyan Peevski said that Parliament is practically not working, "everybody is fighting here and it is time to go to elections". He also said, "I hope Mr Cash fulfills his constitutional obligation and present the third mandate [for forming a government to a parliamentary party of his choice]. Whichever party gets it, should not keep it. I hear that the two parties which presume to have chances to be offered the mandate, are scheming. What they should do is return the mandate. There is no majority in Parliament. We have to go to elections." 

BSP for Bulgaria floor leader Borislav Gutsanov said in the corridors of Parliament that his group wants Parliament to catalogue the most important bills before deciding whether to continue working in August or not. "But we are definitely against going in recess from the beginning of August," he added. 

MP Lena Borislavova (Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria) commented that "this Parliament, unfortunately, proved unable to form an anti-corruption majority but it does not mean that it must give up all legislative initiative". She mentioned one priority for this Parliament to work on, the way her party sees it: addressing the shortage of nurses and health care professionals, and mandating the government to take measures "because the Bulgarian health care system is about to collapse". She said another priority is adopting a bill on individuals' bankruptcy, which Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria are submitting the very same day. Borislavova also said, "There is reasonable time to campaign and it is not August. Instead of going on vacation, the MPs could work some more and do something.