The 52nd National Assembly of Bulgaria is set to convene for its inaugural sitting on April 30, following a decree signed by President Iliana Iotova. The newly elected 240-seat parliament is scheduled to begin its first session at 10 am. The opening protocol will commence with the oldest Member of Parliament present, Rumen Milanov of Progressive Bulgaria, who will officially open the sitting.
Following the opening, all members will take the prescribed oath before formally signing the oath documents. The ceremony will include the playing of the Bulgarian and European anthems. By tradition, the various parties and coalitions represented within the National Assembly are expected to make statements.
The proceedings will continue with the election of the Chair of the National Assembly, who will then assume the role of chairing the sitting and delivering an address. Furthermore, the deputies to the Chair and the formation of parliamentary groups and their respective leaderships will be elected. The composition of the parliament was finalized by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on April 23, following the early parliamentary elections held on April 19.
The distribution of seats among the newly elected parties is as follows: Progressive Bulgaria secured 131 seats, GERB–UDF received 39, Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria jointly hold 37, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms has 21, and Vazrazhdane has 12 seats. The CEC reported that the body of elected representatives comprises 57 women and 183 men. Ahead of the sitting, political discussions included Continue the Change proposing a joint parliamentary alliance with Democratic Bulgaria.
Topics: #sitting #elected #parliament
The commencement of the 52nd National Assembly marks the beginning of Bulgaria’s new legislative term.
What is the significance of the oldest member’s role in the opening protocol?