site.btaUPDATED Parliament to Make Third Attempt to Convene Amid Lack of Quorum

The National Assembly will make its third attempt this week to hold a plenary sitting after two previous failed efforts due to lack of quorum.

On Wednesday, only 61 MPs registered – far short of the required 121, while on Thursday, the number reached 71. As a result, Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova scheduled the next sitting for Friday at 9:00 a.m.

During Thursday’s attempt, 29 MPs from Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, 9 from BSP – United Left, 14 from the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, 11 from Moral, Unity, Honour (MECh), and 8 from Velichie (Grandeur) registered for attendance.

Absent from the plenary hall were MPs from GERB–UDF, MRF – New Beginning, There Is Such a People, and independent MPs. Members of Vazrazhdane were present but deliberately did not register, preventing the sitting from starting.

On Tuesday, GERB Chair Boyko Borissov spoke to members of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group and Prime Minister and GERB member Rosen Zhelyazkov, saying that his party would no longer help ensure a quorum in Parliament, casting doubt on whether GERB would remain part of the governing majority.

Following Borissov’s remarks, Prime Minister and GERB member Rosen Zhelyazkov cancelled the regular Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for Wednesday, while MRF–New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan Peevski declared that he would support Borissov’s nomination for National Assembly Chair and that his party was ready to assume its share of responsibility for Bulgaria’s governance. MRF–New Beginning is not part of the current ruling coalition, which includes GERB–UDF, the BSP-United Left coalition, and There Is Such a People.

Deputy PM and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Chair Atanas Zafirov said on Thursday that his party is ready for talks with government partners at the initiative of the mandate holder, but these discussions and any decisions cannot come at any cost.