site.btaParliament Chair Kiselova Dissolves MECh Parliamentary Group, Reactions Follow

MECh ceased to exist as a parliamentary group after the resignation of its MP Samuil Slavov left it with nine members, one fewer than the minimum required for the formation of a parliamentary group. The announcement was made by National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova on Friday morning, towards the end of a 22-hour marathon sitting of the legislature, which debated and adopted the 2025 State Budget Act.

According to the rules, after a parliamentary group ceases to exist, its members should become independent MPs. They may not join another group and may not set up a new group.

On Thursday, the Central Election Commission declared Plamen Petkov, nominated by MECh, as an MP. Petkov is to replace Slavov in the National Assembly but has not taken the oath of office yet.

Later Friday, the MECh party called for the resignation of Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova over the dissolution of its group in the National Assembly and threatened civil disobedience. "If the MECh group does not exist on Wednesday, we will be putting up blockades," MECh leader Radostin Vasilev told reporters.

In Vasilev's words, Kiselova's decision "has no legal value." He said that his party will ask the prosecution service to probe Kiselova for breaking the Penal Code for violating or failing to perform her official duties.

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), another political group in Parliament, expressed support for MECh in a statement that read: "National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova on Friday applied the parliamentary rules in an unacceptable manner, without taking into account their spirit and purpose, and thus dissolved an opposition parliamentary group."

CC-DB argued that MECh MPs should be able to represent their constituents with all the rights that stem from the rules of procedure, no matter their political beliefs and goals. They pointed out that MECh's values and interests oppose CC-DB's, yet CC-DB urged Kiselova to reinstate the parliamentary group of MECh in the parliamentary groups register in accordance with the spirit of the rules and to refrain from applying "procedural tricks to silence the opposition."

Slavi Trifonov, the leader of There Is Such a People, wrote in a Facebook post that Kiselova should reconsider her decision to dissolve MECh. Trifonov stated that "the will of 111,965 Bulgarian voters has been disregarded due to the decision of the Parliament Chair."

Kiselova wrote in her Facebook page: "Since the night of March 13, I have had numerous discussions with sitting MPs and newly elected members, making every effort to both preserve one of the parliamentary groups and to form a new one."

She reported that the topic was discussed at two meetings of the National Assembly Presiding Council. "It is surprising to me that colleagues who claim to be lawyers do not know the Electoral Code and the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly. [...] I can swallow personal insults, but I cannot accept the undermining of the prestige of the National Assembly."

The parliamentary group of BSP - United Left expressed support for Kiselova in a statement that read: "It is the responsibility of the Chair to ensure compliance with the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly. Assoc. Prof. Kiselova has fulfilled it in the only possible way, having explicitly warned the MECh leadership three times that they are in a situation that could unequivocally lead to the termination of the existence of their parliamentary group."