The 52nd National Assembly of Bulgaria is scheduled to hold its inaugural sitting on April 30, following a decree signed by President Iliana Iotova. The session is set to commence at 10 am, where the President is expected to address the newly elected members of the parliament. The proceedings will begin with the constitutional requirement for the oldest attending MP, Rumen Milanov of Progressive Bulgaria, to open the sitting.
Subsequently, all members will take the official oath, swearing to uphold the Constitution and the laws of Bulgaria. Following the oath, the national and European anthems will be played. By tradition, the various parties and coalitions represented in the elected parliament will present opening statements.
The core administrative functions of the assembly will follow, including the election of the National Assembly’s Chair and Deputy Chairs. The Chair will then announce the formal composition and leadership of the parliamentary groups. The distribution of seats in the 240-member legislature was previously announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on April 23.
Progressive Bulgaria secured 131 seats, followed by GERB–UDF with 39, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria with 37, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 21, and Vazrazhdane with 12. The CEC noted that the body comprises 57 women and 183 men. Ahead of the sitting, reports indicated that Continue the Change proposed a joint parliamentary alliance with Democratic Bulgaria under the slogan “A Strong Bulgaria in a Strong Europe,” while maintaining separate parliamentary group structures.
Topics: #sitting #elected #parliament
It will be interesting to see the direction the new parliament takes.