50th National Assembly Of Bulgaria

The Fiftieth National Assembly () was a convocation of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, formed according to the results of the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, held on 9 June 2024.

Positions and leadership

National Assembly Speaker and Deputy-Speakers

The opening session of the 50th National Assembly, as per tradition, was chaired by the oldest MP, Silvi Kirolov from ITN. During the first day of the opening session, as had occurred in previous sessions, none of the candidates for speaker managed to gain a majority of 121 votes, with the GERB nominated Raya Nazaryan coming closest with 114 votes. The other candidates for the position included Petar Petrov from Vazrazhdane, Silvi Kirilov from ITN and Viktoria Vasilieva from Velichie, although none managed to gather support from outside their parliamentary group. The political deadlock was broken following the decision by ITN to vote in favour of all candidates for the Speakership, thus assuring a 10-seat majority for her election. In her speech following her selection, Nazaryan appraised the work of the National Assembly and promised political impartiality.

Following this, the Vice-Speakers of the National Assembly were similarly selected, with one being given to each of the 7 Parliamentary Groups. On the 5th of July 2024, Viktoria Vassileva, who had previously been the vice-speaker from Velichie, was automatically removed as Vice-Speaker due to the dissolution of the Velichie Parliamentary Group.

Permanent committees of the National Assembly

The chairperson of each of the permanent committees of the 50th National Assembly is listed below, with all being elected on the 17th of July, almost three weeks after the first plenary session.

Temporary parliamentary committees

Three temporary parliamentary committees were formed during the tenure of the 50th National Assembly.

Rulebook temporary committee

Traditionally, following the election of a speaker, a temporary committee is formed in order to review the parliament's rules. Anna Aleksandrova, from GERB, was elected with 129 votes, including the majority of GERB, DPS and Velichie MPs, as well as some MPs from PP-DB. The decision to support Anna Aleksandrova led to debates between Revival and Velichie MPs, with Revival accusing Velichie of covertly supporting GERB.

During debates about the rulebook, two proposals were made in order to not issue wages to MPs during the campaign period, as well as subject all MPs to drug tests. However, both ideas were ultimately rejected both in committee and by the plenary session.

Ivelin Mihaylov investigative committee

On the 11th of July, with 143 votes for, the parliament voted to form a commission to investigate potential financial crimes committed by Velichie founder and businessman, Ivelin Mihaylov. The motion to form the committee was presented by three former members of the Velichie Parliamentary Group.

During committee hearings, allegations of were heard of Mihaylov's role in various forms of financial misconduct, including: de-frauding investors, running a pyramid scheme, undertaking banking activity without a license and intimidating investors to avoid litigation. On the 24th of July, Caretaker Minister of the Interior, Kalin Stoyanov, was heard by the commission, revealing that the Ministry of Interior had begun investigating Mihaylov for financial crimes as early as 2019, however none of the cases had been prosecuted.

On the 8th of August, the report of the commission was officially presented before parliament, with it concluding that there was reasonable evidence of Mihaylov's participation in financial crimes such as money laundering and building a pyramid scheme. A classified part of the report was directed to the General Prosecutors Office.

Dospat investigative committee

On the 1st of August, a commission was formed to investigate whether the mayor of Dospat, Elin Radev, had abused his power and engaged in corrupt practices, with its tenure limited until the 1st of September. The commission's chairman was selected as Aleksandr Vulchev, from ITN.

The commission held a record-breaking seven-hour contiguous session, during which Mayor Radev, members of the local administration, as well as supporters and opponents of the mayor were heard.

In early September, a report on the activity of the commission was officially prepared, however it was not adopted either within the commission due to a boycott of the commission's activity by GERB. Despite this, a decision was taken by the National Assembly to send relevant information from the project-report to various law enforcement agencies.

Bozhanov-Evroto investigative committee

In addition to the above listed committees, the parliament voted to extend the work of the temporary committee from the 49th National Assembly investigating the assassination of suspected Bulgarian mafia member, Martin "The Notary" Bozhanov and the potential role of another suspected member of the Bulgarian mafia, Pepi Evroto, in it. The formation of the committee was supported by 117 votes, with 107 votes against coming from GERB and DPS. Former Justice Minister in the Petkov Government, Nadezhda Yordanova, was selected as the committees chairman. One of the most notable events in the committees activity was the unexpected appearance of DPS Co-chairman, Delyan Peevski, to a hearing before the committee, which Peevski used in order to insinuate illegal activity from PPDB. Members of the committee from PP-DB, in turn have accused GERB and DPS of obstructing the work of the committee. Ultimately, the committee did not produce a report on its activity by the end of the 50th National Assembly.

Parliamentary groups

7 Parliamentary Groups were registered at the opening session of the 50th National Assembly.

GERB-SDS

The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:

Group developments

The partisan breakdown of the seats within the parliamentary group is as follows.

The parliamentary group had no changes in its composition or leadership between the convocation and disbanding of the 50th National Assembly.

DPS

The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:

Curiously, the nominal co-chairman of DPS at the time of the National Assemblies opening, Dzhevdet Chakarov, was not a member of the Parliamentary Groups leadership.

Parliamentary group developments

On the 25th of June, long-time DPS MP, Filiz Hyusmenova, resigned as an MP citing poor electoral results in her constituency of Varna She was replaced by MP-candidate Hyusni Hasan Adem.

On the 27th of June, first-time MP, Aysel Rufad, was expelled from the DPS Parliamentary Group, with no official reason being provided. On the 3d of July, long-time MP from Plovdiv-Province, Ramadan Atalay, was unanimously expelled from the DPS Parliamentary Group, after the Province-Leadership of the party removed their confidence from the MP due to a decrease in votes. Shortly thereafter, MP from Targovishte Province, Dzheyhan Ibryamov, was similarly expelled from the group officially due to the withdrawal of confidence by the province leadership.

On the 11th of July, 17 MPs in the group, including co-chairman Dzhevdet Chakarov, were expelled, in what was widely considered a by-product of the conflict between Parliamentary Group Chairman, Delyan Peevski, and DPS Honorary Chairman, Ahmed Dogan. Two MPs, Ahmed Vranchev and Dimitar Nikolov, left the DPS Parliamentary Group in solidarity with the expelled. Following the split of the group, 25 MPs remained in the official DPS Parliamentary Group.

On the 12th of July, two more DPS MPs, Myumum Myumum and Ibraim Zaydenov, left the parliamentary group in support of the expelled. Hyusni Adem, another DPS MP, left the group on the 17th of July.

By the end of the 50th National Assembly, the official DPS Parliamentary Group had only 22 members, with the majority of the original group sitting as independents.

PP-DB

The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:

Parliamentary group developments

The partisan breakdown of the Parliamentary Group is as follows:

Leader of Yes, Bulgaria!, Hristo Ivanov, announced shortly after the election results that he would resign both as leader of Yes, Bulgaria! and as an MP in the next parliament. After being sworn in, Ivanov resigned on the 21st of June. He was replaced by Stoyan Mihalev, a member of DSB, who was sworn in on the 26th of June.

Revival

The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:

BSP for Bulgaria

The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:

Parliamentary group developments

Prior to the convocation of the parliament, there was confusion about who the Chairman of the BSP for Bulgaria parliamentary group would be. On 14 June, an announcement was made that the group would be led by Aleksandr Svilenski, following a vote by the "political council" of the BSP for Bulgaria coalition. This decision was contested by the BSP National Council, which voted to appoint Borislav Gutsanov head of the parliamentary group on the 15th June. Gutsanov's selection was confirmed on the 20th of June following a vote by the Parliamentary Group.

On the first day of the newly convened parliament, the BSP Parliamentary Group voted in favour of expelling Kaloyan Metodiev, who the National Council had requested resign his seat, due to him receiving the seat in violation of a previous National Council decision. Thus Kaloyan Metodiev became the first independent MP in the new National Assembly.

On the 4th of September, long-time BPS MP, Mikhail Stavrev, resigned from the Parliamentary Group following the decision to expel Korneliya Ninova and other pro-Ninova politicians.

Despite the expulsion of Ninonva, Svilenski and Chenchev from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, they continued to sit with the BSP for Bulgaria Parliamentary Group until the disbandment of the 50th National Assembly.

ITN

The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:

Velichie

The parliamentary group's leadership was as follows:

Parliamentary Group developments

A conflict emerged between the parties founder, Ivelin Mihaylov, and Parliamentary Group Chairman, Nikolay Markov, which led the Central Council of Velichie to withdraw its confidence from the group's leadership.

On the 5th July, 6 MPs from the Velichie Parliamentary Group officially announced their intention to leave it, thus dissolving the group. The MPs, in a briefing to the press, justified their decision due to a loss of confidence in the Parliamentary Group leadership. The MPs claimed that they had attempted to remove the current leadership, however their efforts proved unsuccessful due to obstruction by the leadership.

Legislative activity and other notable developments

Zhelyazkov cabinet investiture vote

On the 1st of July, as part of the government-formation procedure, Zhelyazkov, as the PM-Candidate from GERB officially received the first mandate and submitted his project-cabinet. The debate for the investiture of the cabinet was scheduled for 13:00, on the 3d of July.

The candidacy of Zhelyazkov for PM was introduced to the parliament by GERB-SDS parliamentary group vice-chair, Temenuzhka Petkova, which was followed by Zhelayzkov introducing the personal composition of the project cabinet.

Zhelyazkov's speech was followed by a statement by former Prime Minister and PP-DB parliamentary group chairman, Nikolai Denkov, who chastised Zhelyazkov for not consulting other political forces in the negotiation process and for nominating candidate-Ministers who lacked the necessary acumen to lead Bulgaria forward.

During the debate about the government's investiture, GERB-SDS parliamentary group Chairman Boyko Borisov made a short statement addressed towards PP co-leader Kiril Petkov, hearkening to the shared responsibility the two parties held for the Denkov Government. Kiril Petkov, in response, demanded that Borisov show genuine interest in cooperation and apologise for his alleged role in the collapse of the Denkov and Petkov Government.

The debate was generally dominated by mutual allegations and attacks between representatives of the PP-DB and GERB-SDS parliamentary groups.

Ultimately, the Zhelyazkov government failed in its investiture vote, receiving only 98 votes for.

'Political nomadism' debate & committee distribution

By early July, a high number of unaffiliated MPs had appeared in the parliament due to internal developments within the individual Parliamentary Groups.

On the 12th of July, during debates about the Parliament's rulebook in the National Assembly, BSP MP, Aleksandr Svilenski, proposed the removal of a clause prohibiting the formation of new parliamentary groupings by unaffiliated MPs or the entrance of an MP into a new Parliamentary Group (commonly known as "political nomadism"). Svilenski justified the legislative change by citing the high number of unaffiliated MPs and the possible obstructions to the functioning of the parliament due to the restrictions on the activity of unaffiliated MPs (such as less opportunities to participate in parliamentary committees). The proposed changes were however, ultimately rejected due to opposition from most of the other parliamentary parties.

Ultimately, none of the unaffiliated MPs were given a place in the distribution of the committees.

Еconomic legislation

During its tenure, specifically prior to its summer vacation, the parliament passed a number of important economic legislation.

Social Security reform bill

On the 11th of July, the GERB-SDS parliamentary group proposed a bill that was meant to alter certain aspects of the current unemployment benefit scheme and extend paternity leave.

The latter part of the bill, concerning the extension of paternity leave even without the mother's approval, was passed unanimously on the 25th of July. The second part of the legislative package, which aimed to end the practice by which unemployed persons, who had been employed even on a temporary basis in another EU country, qualified for the highest possible unemployment benefit, proved more contentious, being opposed by DPS.

Ultimately, the legislation ending the practice passed with 157 votes for and 11 against. Independent MPs affiliated with Ahmed Dogan called on President Radev to veto the bill.

Introduction of the Euro bill

On the 7th of August, the parliament adopted the "Law for the Adoption of the Euro" which had been developed jointly by the European Central Bank and Bulgarian National Bank. The law regulated the way in which the Euro was to be introduced in Bulgaria, and made provisions for potential malpractices by shopkeepers. It was seen as an important step in preparing the grounds for Bulgaria's membership in the Eurozone.

The law was supported by the groups of GERB-SDS, PP-DB and DPS, with Revival voting against, while BSP and ITN largely abstained.

Amendments to the state budget

Two amendments to the state budget were proposed by the Ministry of Finance to the National Assembly, both of which were related to greater municipal spending requirements.

On the 24th of July, the parliament voted to authorise the extension of funding to 271 new municipal projects, thus increasing the spending in the budget by 308 million Leva. The amendment was supported unanimously.

In late September, the parliament also once again voted to increase the budget for municipal projects, after approving the commencement of 349 new municipal projects.

Anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda law

On August 7, the parliament passed a new law banning the propagation of "non-traditional sexual orientations" in school. The bill, originally written and proposed by Revival, gained the support of GERB-SDS, DPS, BSP and ITN.

The passing of the bill was accompanied by protests from its opponents, as well as fears of potential retaliation from European institutions.

Energy law amendments

In the final day of the National Assembly prior to its suspension for the election campaign period, the parliament was set to debate a number of amendments to the Energy Law mandated by the EU Plan for Recovery and Resilience, including plans to liberalise the Bulgarian energy market by 2026 and the approval of a road-map for the closing of coal power-plants in Stara Zagora province.

The debate on the amendments was opposed by Revival, BSP and ITN, who believed that it was intentionally rushed by the GERB-PPDB-DPS majority in order to reduce its societal resonance. The political parties supporting the amendments cited the urgency of passing them for Bulgaria to receive funding from the EU.

The three parties opposed to the amendment initially attempted to disrupt the plenary session discussing them by lowering the quorum, however this did not end up working due to the eventual formation of a quorum at 9 PM. Consequently, representatives from the Revival and ITN groups occupied the tribune of the National Assembly, citing perceived rules violations in the conduct of the session. They further attempted to disrupt the National Assemblies audio systems after attempts by GERB MPs to speak from their place.

At 10 PM, the session was temporarily suspended by Vice-Speaker Rositsa Kirova, with most MPs belonging to the GERB-SDS, PP-DB and DPS Parliamentary Groups leaving the room.

Members from ITN and Revival continued to occupy the tribune, claiming that MPs from the supporting parties planned to return and vote on the amendments when the room had been vacated.

At 23:00, the quorum was verified by Kirova, who, following the registration of only 9 MPs, officially dissolved the session. Shortly thereafter, the light system in the National Assembly was turned off. Revival and ITN MPs remained in the room until 00:00, with the official suspension of parliament for the election campaign period.

The behaviour of the MPs was widely condemned by PP-DB and GERB, who accused them of preventing Bulgaria's fulfilment of important energy laws and of demonstrating anti-European practices. ITN and Revival representatives, for their part, claimed to have saved thousands of jobs in the Maritsa basin.

References

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National Assembly (Bulgaria)
2024 establishments in Bulgaria
National Assembly of Bulgaria