On the Eve of the Start of Bulgaria's New Parliament: Preparations Ongoing ahead of Inaugural Sitting

Feverish preparations are under way for the start of the new Parliament, with cleaning taking place outside the building and final talks among political groups ahead of the official opening tomorrow, April 30.

Attention is focused on the priorities the new MPs are setting, when work on them is expected to begin, and how tomorrow’s first sitting is expected to unfold.

By tradition, the new Parliament will be opened by the oldest MP - Rumen Milanov from “Progressive Bulgaria”. This will be followed by the playing of the Bulgarian national anthem and the anthem of the European Union, after which the new MPs will take their oath and the Speaker of Parliament will be elected.

Also in line with tradition, parties will outline their priorities in declarations at the start of the sitting from the parliamentary rostrum. Some have already indicated their positions today.

From “Progressive Bulgaria”, two main areas were highlighted.

Petar Vitanov, “Progressive Bulgaria”, said:

“One is related to the economy, people’s wallets, and the anti-crisis measures that are being developed. The other is related to the judiciary. It is important to see the state of the country we are inheriting, the condition of public finances, and that of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which are significantly delayed. We are not planning changes to the tax system.”

Radev’s party will also seek support from other political forces in Parliament on several key issues.

Anton Kutev, “Progressive Bulgaria”:

“It is more important to find common ground with others regarding judicial reform, the Supreme Judicial Council, the Prosecutor General, and also the Constitution, which are in fact the main topics on which we will seek understanding.”

For “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria”, the main priorities are prices, regulatory bodies, the budget, and judicial reform.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, “Democratic Bulgaria”, said:

“If the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Commission for Consumer Protection are not doing their job, they can go. Of course, next in importance is the budget.”

From the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), comments on priorities were brief.

Hamid Hamid, MRF: “You will hear them later. — Will you be an active opposition to Radev? — I have no comment.”

According to “Vazrazhdane”, the most important issue is controlling prices and supporting the most vulnerable groups.

Petar Petrov, “Vazrazhdane”: “First and foremost is the fight against high electricity prices, fuel prices, and goods from the basic consumer basket. We will immediately submit a draft resolution to remove sanctions on fuel imports from Russia. We will propose expanding the scope of fuel assistance.”

photos by Dessislava Kulelieva, BNT

Today, GERB remained silent.