Parliamentary sitting for election of new Speaker fails due to lack of quorum

Bulgaria’s Parliament failed to secure the necessary quorum to hold a regular sitting on June 22, 2022. Parliament made three attempts for registrations. The MPs were supposed to sit on the procedure for electing a new Speaker. However, the MPs from GERB-UDF, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, “There is Such a People” and “Vazrazhdane” did not register.

After the removal of Nikola Minchev, Miroslav Ivanov from "We Continue the Change" is acting as the Speaker of the Parliament. However, comments by MPs this morning made it clear that no party from the ruling coalition or the opposition is planning to put forward a candidate for the post of the Speaker.

In an extraordinary sitting tonight, at 19:10, the Parliament will vote on a motion of no-confidence in the government of Prime Minister Kiril Petkov. The debates on the motion went on until that time on June 21 and according to the law, the vote should be at least 24 hours after the debate.

The motion was submitted by the opposition GERB-UDF parliamentary group a week ago over alleged failure of the government in the area of public finances and its economic policy.

If the MPs get 121 votes in favour of the no-confidence vote, the President must hand a mandate to form a cabinet to the largest parliamentary group, if it fails to form a government, then the President assigns the mandate to the second, largest parliamentary group. If it also fails to form a government, he assigns a mandate to a third parliamentary group, chosen by him.