The first session was opened by the oldest member of parliament – Rumen Milanov from “Progressive Bulgaria”.
“It is a fact that all of you are younger than me, and this fills me with hope for more reason and politics. The Bulgarians sent us a clear message – they gave trust and expect a result. A significant part of this hope was given to the new political power. This trust is a great test and an even greater responsibility. People want affairs, order, stability and clear decisions,” said Milanov.
In his address, Milanov called for a dialogue between the political forces and for work in the interest of society and emphasized that the responsibility of the new parliament is to meet the expectations of stable management and real results.
The official ceremony is in the presence of President Iliana Yotova.
The first task before the new 240 deputies is the election of the Speaker of the Parliament. Among the names being discussed are former acting Prime Minister Galab Donev and lawyer Michaela Dotsova, both from Progressive Bulgaria. At the beginning of the meeting, it became clear that Dotsova was the more likely chairman of the National Assembly, since it was she who sat in the first row next to the leader of the formation Rumen Radev.
By tradition, the parliamentary groups are about to present declarations with their priorities.
After a leadership meeting, it became clear that “We continue the change” (PP) and “Democratic Bulgaria” (DB) will register as separate parliamentary groups. Thus, there will be 5 parties and a total of 6 parliamentary groups in the new National Assembly.
The largest will be that of “Progressive Bulgaria” with 131 deputies. It is followed by GERB-SDS with 39 people’s representatives. PP will have 16 deputies, DB – with 21, DPS – also with 21, and the smallest group will be that of “Vazrazhdane” with 12 people’s representatives.
President Yotova called for solutions
“Allow me to address you, the people’s representatives, and congratulate you on your election. From the highest podium, I stand with a sense of deep responsibility and respect for the will of the Bulgarian citizens. I thank you for every vote cast and every political force that participated in the elections,” said President Iliana Yotova in her address.
“It is symbolic that the National Assembly begins work on the days when we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising. This should remind us that there are no small and large nations – there are united and divided ones,” she added.
The President emphasized that the election process was conducted with high turnout and with clear results. “The caretaker government did well and managed to limit vote buying. But the Bulgarian citizens did the best. Democracy works – we saw it and felt it,” said Yotova.
In her address, she called on the deputies to responsibility, dialogue and stability. “People expect from you not confrontation, but solutions. They expect a functioning parliament, clear policies and sustainable governance. It is your duty to justify the trust that was given to you,” the president said.
At the end of his speech, the president wished the people’s representatives success and urged them to put the national interest above party differences.
