New Parliament Takes Oath under Siege of Seven Protests, Then Fails to Elect Chair

Bulgaria’s 51st National Assembly took the oath of office on Monday. 234 MPs were in attendance on the first day of the new 240-seat legislature.

Attending were also President Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Patriarch Daniil, caretaker cabinet members, representatives of the judiciary, diplomats, etc.

Silvi Kirilov MP (There Is Such a People) presided over the sitting in his capacity as the most senior deputy.

Having delivered their inaugural statements, the parliamentary groups failed in their first task: to elect a chair. The vote was held in two rounds, with GERB-UDF's Raya Nazaryan and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria's Andrey Tsekov in the run-off. Tsekov received 68 votes in favour, 86 against and 85 abstentions. Nazaryan also received 68 votes, with 121 against and 50 abstentions.

A total of five candidates were put forward in the first round - Nazaryan, Tsekov, Vazrazhdane's Petar Petrov, BSP - United Left's Nataliya Kiselova and There Is Such a People's (TISP) Nikoleta Kuzmanova.

After the failure of the procedure, TISP Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov proposed that the oldest MP - TISP's Silvi Kirilov - be elected acting National Assembly chair and remain in office until a majority is formed to elect its own chair. He told the press afterwards that there is an understanding among the Bulgarian Socialist Party-United Left (BSP-United Left), Morality, Unity, Honour (MECh), and the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (APS) that it is a good option to temporarily appoint the oldest MP as acting parliament chair.

The next attempt to elect National Assembly chair will be made during Wednesday's sitting.

Assen Vassilev, co-chair of Continue the Change, told journalists in the halls of Parliament after the failed election of a parliamentary leader, that to have a working National Assembly, potential partners must unite around a legislative programme in the next three months. "Once there is a clear legislative programme, we can elect a person who will commit that this legislative programme will happen in the timeframe set in it. This is a process that will probably take some time. Until then, I do not see how the deadlock will be resolved," Vassilev said.

Multiple protests

The new National Assembly started work besieged by a total of seven protests in the centre of Sofia. Outside the Parliament building, supporters of MRF – New Beginning of Delyan Peevski held a rally that started very early in the morning. The protestors were disgruntled with Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria over their attacks for vote buying against Delyan Peevski, and the rival faction of MRF, which won seats in Parliament via the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms coalition. "This is the last time we will be civil and peaceful here in front,” Peevski told his supporters. He also attacked President Rumen Radev and said “next time we will be inside the presidency”.

Several blocks away from the MRF-New Beginning protest, the Velichie party held a protest as alleged vote irregularities kept them out of Parliament this time. "We are here for a free and democratic State, we want equal rights for all, not someone to buy the people's vote," party leader Ivelin Mihaylov told journalists.

Four-party government proposal

Before the start of the inaugural sitting, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said a government could be formed with GERB-UDF, CC-DB, BSP, and TISP, with himself as Prime Minister. "This would be an act of self-sacrifice on my part," he said.

TISP floor leader Toshko Yordanov called “absurd” the idea of Borissov as Prime Minister in a government with TISP participation. As for the government, he said it is early days to say if they consider it possible.

Assen Vassilev of CC-DB said “a quadruple coalition is not an option”.

Natalia Kiselova, MP of BSP-United Left, said on Bulgarian National Radio on Monday that the congress of the Bulgarian Socialist Party has a decision not to support a GERB government, much less one with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, and such an option is not acceptable.

Delyan Peevski said before the opening of the inaugural sitting that Boyko Borissov is “the leader of [the biggest] party and has an obligation to form a government, inviting in it whoever he wants”.

/NF/