site.btaUPDATED Parliament Chair Denies Allegations that She Acted under Politicians' Pressure, Offers Solution for Dissolved Group Crisis

Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova Tuesday denied allegations by a political leader that she had been pressured to announce the dissolution of a parliamentary group. Also, she suggested two ways of addressing the situation that emerged after the dissolution of the MECh group earlier in March as it dropped below the required number of MPs for a group to exist, and both solutions involve a resolution by the MPs to revise the parliamentary rules of organization. 

She stated that she expects the newly designated MPs of MECh to take their oath the next day. 

Kiselova held an extraordinary news briefing to offer her take on the situation with MECh, and the claims by MECh leader and MP Radostin Vasilev that she admitted in a phone call with him that she had acted under pressure.

Vasilev said he had a recording of the phone call and threatened to make it public.

"The only pressure I allow to be put on me is pressure from the experts. I have never received any threats from politicians," said the Parliament Chair. 

Timeline of a parliamentary group's dissolution

On March 21, towards the end of a 22-hour marathon sitting of the legislature which debated and adopted the 2025 State Budget Act, 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.

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.

Later the same day, MECh called for the resignation of the Parliament Chair and threatened civil disobedience. 

At the Tuesday news briefing, Kiselova provided more details. On March 13, the Constitutional Court decision regarding the replacement of 16 MPs, was received, impacting multiple parliamentary groups including MECh. An emergency meeting was scheduled for March 14, where she urged all groups to ensure the presence of new MPs for their oath-taking. MECh had been given time and flexibility to secure its existence as a group, said Kiselova. She noted that the MECh leader had been warned ahead of the announcement of the group’s dissolution. On March 19, a regular meeting of the parliamentary leadership took place, during which Vasilev announced an MP’s resignation and requested an immediate vote. Kiselova privately urged him to reconsider, warning him that the move could endanger his parliamentary group. Despite her warnings, the resignation was confirmed, and the MP was released on March 19.

Later that day, MPs from the Velichie party were sworn in. Parliament had an extended sitting on March 20 to pass the State Budget Act and MPs agreed to cancel the regular plenary sitting on March 21, with no objections raised, Kiselova said.

The possible solutions

The Parliament leader outlined two possible "legitimate solutions". In one, the MPs will amend the parliamentary rules of organization in Chapter Four concerning the parliamentary groups, to fill a void concerning a situation when an MP is elected as a result of a Constitutional Court decision. In the other, the MPs will adopt a resolution in keeping with the parliamentary rules of organization, to settle any matters ensuing from the Constitutional Court decision regarding this Parliament. In any case, it is all in the hands of the MPs, said the Parliament leader.

She went on to blast the secret recording of her conversation with Vasilev by him. She said that this act has legal and moral aspects, and while she has no worries about her phone conversations, it is inadmissible for an MP to violate the Constitution which bans recording a phone conversation without the person’s knowledge.