Sofia City Council fails in seventh attempt to elect a chairperson

Sofia City Council failed yet again to elect a chairperson today, January 25. The next meeting of the Municipal Council is scheduled for February 8 at 10.00.

After two rounds of voting held today, the councillors decided to gather for talks, after which they will try again to elect a chair, but no consensus was reached.

According to the regulations on the organisation and activities of the Sofia City Council and the Sofia Municipal Administration, the election of a charprson requires the votes of more than half of the municipal councillors - at least 31 in the 61 seat council.

The largest group nominated a new candidate - councillor from “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria – Save Sofia”, Tsvetomir Petrov. Despite the negotiations and expectations that there would be a consensus today, a majority for election was not gathered.

For the seventh time the councillors met to elect a chairperson. There were three candidates - Tsvetomir Petrov from “We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria – Save Sofia”; Diana Tonova from Bulgarian Socialist Party and Plamen Danailov from “There is Such a People”. The first two went to the second round of voting. In the second round of voting, none of them garnered the required 31 votes in the 61-seat city parliament.

After this attempt failed, Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev suggested that the councillors meet to find a solution and elect a chairperson. The meeting lasted more than two hours, but no consensus was reached.

Tsvetomir Petrov, nominated by the largest group on the council, said there had been unity around his candidacy at the meeting, but the “There is Such a People” councillors had subsequently changed their minds.

Although the city parliament cannot actually start working, the councillors will receive their salaries retroactively when they elect a chairperson.

Source: BTA