The Speaker of the Parliament, Natalya Kiselova, on March 21 announced that the parliamentary group of MECh party (Morality, /unity, Honour) is ceasing to exist due to the group falling below the required minimum of 10 members. This decision was made clear at the end of a long parliamentary sitting that lasted into the early morning hours. The party, however, stated that the decision was unfounded and demanded Kiselova’s resignation if their group is not reinstated by Wednesday.
Early this morning, after the 2025 state budget was passed, Natalya Kiselova announced that the MECh's group was breaking up:
"In accordance with the provisions of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, the MECh parliamentary group ceases to exist."
This situation arose after the Constitutional Court's decision and the reshuffle of MPs in the Parlaiment. The MЕCh parliamentary group reduced from 12 to 11 members after three MPs left, and two new members were to take their oaths. Samuil Slavov took the oath, but following media reports that he was on trial in the US, he resigned, and his resignation was accepted. Therefore, two other elected members, Ivan Ivanov and Plamen Petkov, are expected to take the oath soon, although they have not yet done so.
For about a week, MЕCh remained with 9 MPs, and according to the Rules of Procedure, when the number of members in a parliamentary group drops below the minimum of 10, the group ceases to exist. Angered by Kiselova's decision, MЕCh declared that it has no legal basis and that it was made under pressure from BSP, There is such a People, and GERB.
"Natalya Kiselova prevented two elected MPs from taking their oaths today. She had initially scheduled Friday for the oath-taking, but just one hour before the scheduled time, she declared that the MЕCh parliamentary group was disbanded. This is a unilateral decision made under pressure. Natalya Kiselova will go to the Prosecutor's Office. We demand her resignation, as well as the resignation of the government if the MЕCh group is not reinstated by Wednesday, otherwise, we will start blockades."
According to constitutional law expert Borislav Tsekov, Kiselova's decision contradicts the Constitution:
"From a constitutional perspective, there is no reason for this. It is obviously a political decision. We are not dealing with a situation where a parliamentary group falls below 10 members due to a lack of representatives, but rather we are in a constitutionally established procedure for the termination of the mandate of one MP and the appointment of those next in line on the proportional party list."
The former president of the National Assembly and lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Sofia University Mihail Mikov also believes that the decision is controversial:
"It is important not just to read the letter of the law but to understand its spirit. After all, this is a parliamentary faction that received 4 percent of the vote and passed the threshold. Clearly, this is not about the departure of a parliamentary group but rather a temporary situation where some MPs have left the Parliament, and those elected by the same list have yet to take their oaths."
photos by Dessislava Kulelieva, BNT
Can Kiselova Reverse the decision and restore the MECh parliamentary group?
Borislav Tsekov - PhD in Constitutional Law: "If she insists that she is working in the field of constitutional law, I believe she should correct this."
Mihail Mikov suggests that the issue should be examined in a more calm and structured environment at the Chairperson's Council:
"The most important thing is to have agreement and understanding that the will of the voters must be respected."
How this case will unfold will become clear in the coming days.
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