site.btaMedia Review: November 11

PROTESTS – 1ST DAY OF PARLIAMENT

The first session of the 51st National Assembly and the scheduled seven protests on the same day near Parliament’s building receive wide media coverage on Monday. MPs expressed concern over possible violence and foiling the start of Parliament’s sitting.

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Dnevnik: Protests have been declared by supporters of Delyan Peevski and his formation MRF - New Beginning, who want to demonstrate that "we are not phantoms, we are real" in response to Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria's position that a large part of the votes cast for the formation (just over 281,000) are bought, controlled or directly entered into the tally sheets. Their protest will be positioned in front of the central entrance of the National Assembly and will last from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. The municipality has also secured parking spaces for the buses that will bring Peevski's organized supporters from the country.

Ivelin Mihaylov’s Velichie (Grandeur) party, which narrowly missed the 4% threshold for entering Parliament by mere dozens of votes, insists on the complete annulment of the “criminal elections”. Their protest will take place in front of the central bank’s building and is scheduled to last between 8:30 am and 8:00 pm. Parking has been provided for buses for this protest as well.

The nationalist VMRO party has also announced a protest in front of the President’s building, despite the party not taking part in the October 27 elections.

A civil initiative gravitating around Simeon Slavchev’s pro-Russian party MIR, which insists on annulling the elections, will protest in the Largo.

The Angels on the Road association, which provides assistance to traffic accident victims and their families will protest in front of the National Theatre against lawmakers’ failure to take action and make changes.

A protest will also take place in front of Parliament’s old building, demanding a new Election Code and “protecting statehood”.

A protest is scheduled in front of the National Palace of Culture between 8:30 and noon by unknown individuals, Sofia Municipality said. There was no information what their demands are.

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"From all the information being gathered at the moment, civil unrest and a build-up of tension among the public is expected, GERB MP Rosen Zhelyazkov told bTV on Sunday, asked about what he expects to see on Monday, November 11, when the 51st National Assembly is scheduled to hold its first session, Dnevnik reported.

Answering a question, Zhelyazkov said he expects the unrest to come from informal, anti-institutional and anti-system political players. Asked who might have an interest in such things, the former parliament chair said that anyone who "takes advantage of the hybrid possibilities to increase tensions in an EU Member State and a loyal NATO ally would have a political interest".

In his words, what happened in front of the National Theatre on Thursday was not spontaneous and was a prelude to what "we might see tomorrow [Monday], a prelude to that feeling that we need a strong hand".

Continue the Change (CC) co-leader Assen Vassilev had a similar position. He told NOVA TV that he believes the clashes in front of the National Theatre on Thursday were a "dress rehearsal for what will happen tomorrow [Monday]". He described the clashes as organized, with provocateurs involved and said that the Interior Ministry failed to address the situation. Vassilev links their organization with parties that do not wish for Parliament to start working, but declined to be more specific.

According to him, on Monday there will be attempts to prevent Parliament from starting work, as some MPs may not be able to enter the building and the necessary quorum may not be secured.\

Vassilev said he has information that caretaker Interior Minister Atanas Ilkov has taken a leave of absence. While the conversation was going on, NOVA TV checked and quoted the Interior Ministry as saying that the Minister would attend the first session of Parliament and then leave for to a meeting of interior ministers abroad. Later, TV host Lora Krumova clarified that the Interior Ministry had said Ilkov would not travel after it transpired that there would be seven protests in central Sofia on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Sofia police said they had information about the participation in Monday's protests of people with criminal backgrounds who "could vitiate them". A police spokesperson refused to give further details because a probe and investigation were underway.

Earlier on Monday, the Interior Ministry said that Rosen Milenov of the newly announced Civic Initiative for the Non-Recognition of the Election Results for the 51st National Assembly had been arrested. Milenov was detained on the grounds that he had made threats of disorder in Sofia on Monday during the opening session of the new Parliament.

Seven protests have been announced for Monday, the first day of the new parliament, which will take place in the area of the buildings of the Council of Ministers, the National Assembly and the Presidency. One of the protests will be in support of MRF-New Beginning leader Delyan Peevski, around whom Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) want the other parliamentary parties to form a "sanitary cordon" to prevent him and his formation from being allowed to leadership positions in the new Legislature.

GERB will nominate Raya Nazaryan for parliament chair. In connection with the "sanitary cordon", Zhelyazkov said that GERB would not sign CC-DB's declaration for a sanitary cordon around Peevski, because it was a document "leading to segregation" of Peevski on the one hand, and on the other - to CC-DB's "indulgence".

Boyko Borissov's party [GERB], however, is ready to sign a coalition agreement on the principle of common views on governance.

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Mediapool: A total of seven protests and demonstrations are planned for Monday on the occasion of the opening of the 51st National Assembly, Sofia Municipality said. Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev has held a working meeting with the Interior Ministry in connection with ensuring public order and security on the occasion of the convocation of the 51st National Assembly on Monday, the local authorities said.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Sofia Police and the Urban Mobility Centre.

The Mayor has requested clarity and a plan for coordination between the two institutions - the Sofia Police and the Municipality. "The safety, life and health of citizens are most important. We cannot allow the city to be held hostage by undemocratic events that are threatening public order," Terziev said, adding that "the responsibilities of everyone - protest organisers and police - must be clear."

Sofia Municipality will work in coordination with the Sofia Police within its remit through relevant directorates and offices.

Terziev has asked the Sofia Police to ensure public order and security for all citizens of the capital, to prevent the escalation of tension in the area of the National Assembly building, the Council of Ministers and the Presidency, where Monday's protests have been declared and coordinated, as well as to ensure the normal entry of MPs and officials for the ceremony in the building of the National Assembly and the work of the new Parliament, and the democratic right of citizens to protest.

An taskforce, headed by the Sofia police, has been assembled to manage the police forces involved in maintaining public order tomorrow. Its composition will include an official from Sofia Municipality.

To ensure public order, the police will set up the necessary organization, including a police cordon will separate the participants in the declared events, law enforcement officials said during the meeting.

Traffic is likely to be disrupted in central Sofia and traffic can be stopped at the police's discretion.

Traffic disruptions are expected, but no changes to public transport routes are planned, which is why Sofia Municipality advises citizens to use public transport on Monday.

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Trud covers the start of the 51st National Assembly, where 240 MPs will gather to take the oath of office. There will be a total of eight political parties in the new Parliament.

The MPs will have to take the first important decision on Monday, namely who will be the President of the National Assembly. Several political parties have already announced the names of their candidates for the post, while others are still keeping quiet on whether they will nominate one.

The biggest political force, GERB-UDF, will nominate Raya Nazaryan once again.

The GERB-UDF put the support for Nazaryan as a condition for forming a regular government, the newspaper recalls. In recent days, party leader Boyko Borissov has repeatedly said that if the first political force does not get the necessary votes for its nomination, then negotiations on the formation of a cabinet cannot begin

The second political force CC-DB, however, said that they would not support a candidate from GERB-UDF if the latter does not agree to sign the declaration on the sanitary cordon. At this point it is not clear whether the second political force will put forward its own candidate. The name of Atanas Atanasov has been mentioned as a possible candidate for the post in recent days, but the coalition announced that they are continuing to discuss the issue.

BSP-United Left and There Is Such a People also announced that they will have their nominations for the post. The Socialists will nominate constitutionalist Natalia Kiselova. The decision was made at the BSP national council.

TISP did not disclose who their nomination will be. What is certain, however, is that Silvi Kirilov will strike the first bell as the oldest of the MPs.

Vazrazhdane is nominating Petar Petrov as its candidate for post of Parliament chair. In a message circulated to the media, the party has decided not to negotiate with GERB and Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) on forming a government.

The MRF-New Beginnings and the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (two factions split off from the MRF, the former headed by Peevski and the latter by MRF Honorary Chairman Ahmed Dogan) have not declared whether they will support any of the nominees.

Focus news has learned that the MPs close to Ahmed Dogan will not put forward their nomination for the post, but they have not yet decided whether they will support any of the proposed candidates. Earlier, in a video posted on the MRF's Facebook page, Dogan called for the construction of a "common strategy for action and counteraction," as well as the forming of a negotiating team to lead the talks on forming a government.

The MECh party, on the other hand, have already said they will not have their own candidate for parliament chair. The party will not support GERB's nominee, nor Atanas Atanasov, if the CC-DB decides to nominate him.

In the last few parliaments, it took several days to elect a chair. Whether there will be a blockage in the first key vote remains to be seen.