Sharp political reactions followed the incident involving Sonya Koltuklieva. The opposition called for two resignations: that of the head of the National Service for Protection (NSP) and that of the Speaker of Parliament. The governing parties saw the opposition’s actions as an attempt to rehabilitate the “assemblage”.
The opposition focused on the resignation of the Speaker of Parliament.
Denitsa Sacheva – MP for the GERB–UDF parliamentary group:
“We would like Ms Dotsova to take the appropriate political responsibility, because when you hold such a high position, the first requirement is to be human and to show responsibility and character. We would not want Parliament to be associated with repression of freedom of speech and journalists. Power is temporary; a person remains a person for life.”
GERB–UDF collected signatures to call for Dotsova’s resignation but decided not to submit them because We Continue the Change (WCC) and Democratic Bulgaria (DB) had not signed.
GERB–UDF: “A resignation should not be the result of political pressure, but of an awareness of one’s own responsibility.”
Toma Bykov – MP for the GERB–UDF parliamentary group: “When you are in opposition, there can be no ‘assemblages’. For us, WCC and DB’s refusal to sign our motion is a sign that, amid the noise of the election campaign and the fierce confrontation we see on the surface, processes may be under way to create a new ‘assemblage’ linked to the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council.”
“Unjustified violence is still violence,” the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) said in response to the NSP’s actions, backing the call for Dotsova’s resignation.
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The "assemblage" is a term often used to refer informally to the power-sharing cooperation between the two main political blocs in the Bulgarian government from June 2023 to March 2024: "We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) and GERB-UDF. The term highlighted the nature of the arrangement as a potentially reluctant or temporary gathering of different political entities, rather than a traditional, cohesive coalition government. The "assemblage" fell apart before the agreed rotation of governance seats.
Iskra Mihaylova – MP for the MRF parliamentary group: “The first person in the state has shown how she treats the citizens of this country. This is unacceptable and outrageous! It leads us to believe that Ms Dotsova is simply unworthy of her position and does not understand what it entails. First, it brings responsibility; second, it demands honour and humanity. It would not have been so difficult for her to get out of the car and ask how Sonya Koltuklieva was.”
'Progressive Bulgaria' responded with a statement saying that it opposed any excessive use of force and believed that laws and rules must apply to everyone. It said it was awaiting the results of the investigation and believed that such incidents should neither be provoked nor allowed to happen, nor exploited for political gain. According to the governing parties, attempts to use the incident to politically rehabilitate the “assemblage” would fail.
'Progressive Bulgaria': “Progressive Bulgaria opposes any excessive use of force and believes that laws and rules must apply to everyone. We await the results of the investigation and believe that such incidents should neither be provoked nor allowed to happen, nor exploited for selfish political purposes. ... The attempt to use this incident to politically rehabilitate the ‘assemblage’ will not succeed.”
'Democratic Bulgaria' responded that the label “assemblage” could not conceal the governing parties’ arrogance and hubris, and that Dotsova still had a dignified way out: to resign. Regarding the removal of the NSP chief, it asked whether any action would be taken or whether Radev would block the resignation and undermine Iotova.
Bozhidar Bozhanov – MP for the DB parliamentary group: “The opposition is constantly blamed for everything by those in power, and they see ‘assemblies’ everywhere. The most natural thing is for the opposition to call for resignations when a political figure makes a serious blunder, whether that person is a minister, the Speaker of Parliament or someone else.”
WCC interpreted the governing parties’ response as follows:
Asen Vasilev – WCC leader: “Indifference, failure, fear and lies. Ms Dotsova, resign as Speaker of Parliament. The only way to preserve Parliament’s dignity is for you to resign, not under pressure, but because you believe it is the right thing to do. We have yet to hear a statement from Rumen Radev.”
Petar Vitanov, head of the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group, described this as a crude attempt at political revenge. Vazrazhdane also renewed its call for the resignation of the president, to whom the NSS reports directly.
Petar Vitanov – head of the Progressive Bulgaria parliamentary group: “Calling for the resignation of the Speaker of the National Assembly looks exactly like that – a crude attempt at political revenge.”
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