51st Parliament started work, MPs failed to elect a Speaker

MPs failed to elect a Speaker for the 51st Parliament during their inaugural sitting on November 11.

The vote was held in two rounds, with GERB-UDF's Raya Nazarian and Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria's Andrei Tsekov in the run-off. Tsekov received 68 votes in favour, 86 against and 85 abstentions. Nazaryan also received 68 votes, with 121 against and 50 abstentions.

A total of five candidates were put forward in the first round - Nazaryan, Tsekov, Vazrazhdane's Petar Petrov, BSP - United Left's Nataliya Kiselova and There Is Such a People's (TISP) Nikoleta Kuzmanova.

The MPs will hold another sitting on Wednesday, 13 November.