MECh Supporters Block Traffic in Sofia during Protest against Parliamentary Group Disbandment

UPDATED MECh Supporters Block Traffic in Sofia during Protest against Parliamentary Group Disbandment

Desislava Toncheva, Tsvetisiana Kostova

MECh Leader Radostin Vasilev at the protest, March 26, 2025 (BTA Photo/Milena Stoykova)

Sofia,

26.03.2025 08:25 | UPDATED 26.03.2025 08:42

(BTA)

Citizens and MECh party supporters blocked traffic on Knyaz Alexander I Square in Sofia. Their protest demonstration in the space between the National Assembly and the Bulgarian National Bank building in Sofia began shortly after 7 am on Wednesday. The police presence in the area of the National Assembly has been increased.

The protest was announced by MECh leader Radostin Vassilev last week, On March 21, National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova announced that the MECh group ceased to exist after the resignation of its member Samuil Slavov left it with nine members, one fewer than the minimum required for the formation of a parliamentary group. The fewer-than-required-MPs situation was also a result of a Constitutional Court decision that revised the number of MPs of all groups in Parliament.

“I hope that the people's voice will be heard, because I give them the microphone to speak freely, and they are trying to silence us,” Vasilev told journalists at the protest in response to a question about what the parliamentary group hopes for. He explained that, over the past three or four days, many experts have said that "this is the biggest outrage committed by a National Assembly Chair". Vasilev added that if the MECh parliamentary group is not restored, the protest will escalate.

On Wednesday, Parliament is expected to consider a draft resolution by There Is Such a People to restore the MECh parliamentary group.

National Assembly Chair Kiselova also gave her options for resolving the situation. Kiselova said that she expects the announced MPs from MECh to come to take the oath before the National Assembly. The legitimate options, according to her, are either a change in Chapter 4 of the Rules of Procedure, due to the vacuum regarding parliamentary groups that occurred after the Constitutional Court decision, or for Parliament to adopt a specific decision to regulate the legal consequences of the Constitutional Court decision. Kiselova explained that there was no political pressure on her to terminate the existence of the MECh party.

There are currently nine MECh MPs in Parliament, after the National Assembly terminated the powers of Samuil Slavov on Wednesday last week due to his resignation. On Thursday, the Central Election Commission announced Plamen Angelov Petkov, nominated by the MECh party, as a member of Parliament in the 51st National Assembly. He will take the place of Samuil Slavov, but has not yet been sworn in as an MP.

/DT/