site.btaUPDATED MPs Fail to Elect Parliament Chair at Seventh Attempt, to Try Again on Friday

The seventh attempt to elect a chair of the 51st National Assembly failed on Thursday. Raya Nazaryan of GERB-UDF and Silvi Kirilov of There Is Such a People (TISP) were again the candidates who reached the second round of voting. Neither of them received the necessary number of votes in favour to become Parliament chair.

The next attempt to elect a head of the National Assembly will be made on Friday.

In the second round of voting on Thursday, Nazaryan received 69 votes in favour, 159 votes against, and 10 abstentions. Kirilov received 118 votes in favour, 103 against, and 17 abstentions. TISP requested a re-vote, in which Kirilov got 117 votes in favour, 104 against, and 17 abstentions.

Before the second vote, Democratic Bulgaria told journalists that they will give one-time support to Kirilov's nomination.

In the seventh attempt to election National Assembly chair, there were four candidates for the post, the same as in the previous attempts: Raya Nazaryan, Petar Petrov of Vazrazhdane, Silvi Kirilov, and Natalia Kiselova of BSP-United Left.  

In the first round of voting, Nazaryan got 69 votes in favour, 161 against and 8 abstentions. She was backed only by the MPs of GERB-UDF. Kirilov received 66 votes in favour, 114 against and 58 abstentions. He was supported by MPs of Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, TISP, MECh, and Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria.

Kiselova received 50 votes in favour, 113 against and 74 abstentions. She was supported by BSP-United Left, the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and MECh. Petrov was last with 46 votes in favour, 130 against and 62 abstentions. He was backed by Vazrazhdane and MPs of MECh.