Bulgaria’s parliament remains in deadlock after failing for the tenth time to elect a Speaker of the National Assembly. The ongoing political stalemate has raised concerns about the country’s ability to form a stable government.
Several candidates were put forward for the crucial position. “There Will Be No Surrender” (Vazrazhdane) nominated Petar Petrov,while the ”We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB) coalition backed Atanas Atanasov. The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) reaffirmed its support for Natalia Kiselova,adn the “Renaissance” party nominated Silvi Kirilov.
“Today we are once again at a past crossroads at a moment that will remain not only in the minutes of the National Assembly,but also in the history books.Our choice should not be dictated by party selfishness and personal ambitions,” said Pavela Mitova from ITN.
“We reaffirm our nomination for the Speaker of the National Assembly – lawyer Petar Petrov. We believe that he is the most suitable and we hope for approval,” said kosta Stoyanov from “Vazrazhdane”.
“Only Atanas Atanasov can pave the way in this National Assembly to make efforts for a regular government,” said Nadezhda Yordanova from PP-DB.
“We once again raise the candidacy of Assoc. Dr. Natalia Kiselova. This is the person the Bulgarian parliament needs right now. It is not by chance that our parliamentary group strives to hold a dialog. We believe that the most suitable at this moment is Assoc. Kiselova. We call for support and to solve this case ” insisted Borislav Gutsanov from “BSP – United Left”.
After the initial nominations, a one-hour break was proposed and granted. Though, no further discussions took place before the voting commenced.
the Vote
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atanas Atanasov’s candidacy was put to the vote first, receiving 56 votes in favor (PP-DB and APS), 92 against, and 89 abstentions. His nomination was re-voted, resulting in 56 votes “for,” 93 votes “against,” and 89 abstentions.
Natalia Kiselova received 88 votes “for” (GERB-SDS and BSP), 61 votes “against,” and 89 abstentions. Her candidacy was re-voted, yielding 88 votes “for,” 61 votes “against,” and 89 abstentions.
Petar Petrov from “Vazrazhdane” garnered 61 votes “for” (Vazrazhdane, ITN, and MECH), 132 votes “against,” and 45 abstentions. His proposal was not accepted.
Silvi Kirilov, the oldest deputy nominated by ITN, received 82 votes “for” (Vazrazhdane, APS, ITN, and MECH), 120 votes ”against,” and 36 abstentions. Her proposal was also not accepted.
Natalia Kiselova and Silvi Kirilov advanced to a runoff vote. Following this, the leader of “BSP – United Left,” Atanas Zafirov, requested a 90-minute break. A 30-minute break was initially announced, which was subsequently extended by another half hour.
In the runoff, Kiselova received 89 votes “for,” 60 votes “against,” and 88 abstentions.
Bulgaria’s parliament remains in deadlock after a second round of voting failed to elect a new speaker. The initial vote saw Natalia Kiselova, backed by the “BSP – United Left” party, fall short of the required majority. A subsequent re-vote resulted in 118 votes in favor, 30 against, and 90 abstentions. However, a separate vote for Silvi Kirilov, an autonomous candidate, also failed to secure the necessary support, with 99 deputies voting in favor, 120 against, and 19 abstentions.
Political Maneuvering Intensifies
The stalemate has intensified political maneuvering between the “BSP - United Left” and “continuing the Change – Democratic Bulgaria” (PP-DB) parties. Negotiations are underway regarding a proposed PP-DB declaration, but the socialists are reportedly demanding guarantees that all members of the PP-DB group will vote for Kiselova before signing the document. The PP-DB formation, however, insists that the declaration be signed first.
Reactions to the Vote
“Did you see how they don’t want to have a head of parliament? They are buying time for the new party. We voted today to ‘unblock’ the work, because the Bulgarian citizens are watching. They just don’t want to - as they can’t. I call for the new project to come, pop up and go to the polls. We will not participate in this here. I supported the Bulgarian citizens not to watch this disgrace,” said Delyan peevski, leader of “DPS – New Beginning.”
“You found out today who is Delyan Peevski’s candidate for chairman. His name is Natalia Kiselova. It is not by chance that the BSP was called a ‘new beginning’ all this time. Today, all these public doubts and speculations have been confirmed. Peevski voted for Nataliya Kiselova, and thus the dreams of PP, outside of ITN, to have someone else sign their declaration of a sanitary cordon totally collapsed. Today, one more thing was proven once again – the only independent candidate behind whom there is no influence is Assoc. Silvi Kirilov. Once again he is in the run-off and for another day he continues to be the only way out of the political situation. Unfortunately, the long arm of the DPS embraced the BSP and destroyed them,” stated Stanislav Balabanov from ITN.
“Everything that happens around Kiselova doesn’t happen before your eyes, it happens during breaks, in the offices. Maybe it has now also happened in Mr. Peevski’s office, so that ‘New Beginning’ will give its support - I have no idea,” he added.
“There are two conclusions from what happened today. First, there is a ’sanitary cordon’ around PP-DB. Today,their candidate ranks last,and support for ‘Vazrazhdane’ is growing. The second – we already have a new political formation in the parliament – ‘BSP - New beginning’. I don’t know what exact description they could give for what happened with Peevski’s group voting in favor of Natalia Kiselova. Whatever the explanation is – it is indeed obvious that firstly it is very necessary that they promptly explain it and secondly – it will definitely not be able to be argued in any way.Perhaps because of the impasse in which the parliament finds itself, dependencies have once again become visible. If there is something good from what has been happening in the last four weeks, that really a lot of masks have fallen and continue to fall,” said Kostadin Kostadinov, leader of “Vazrazhdane.”
## Bulgaria’s Parliament Remains Deadlocked: An Expert interview
**World Today news** sat down with Dr. Maria Petrova, professor of political science at Sofia University, to analyze teh ongoing political crisis in Bulgaria after the 10th failed attempt to elect a Speaker of the National Assembly.
**WTN:** Dr. Petrova,Bulgaria’s parliament is once again in deadlock. What are the key takeaways from this latest round of voting?
**Dr. Petrova:** The latest vote underlines the deep political divisions within the Bulgarian society. We see a fragmented parliament with no clear majority, each party prioritizing its own agenda over finding common ground. The failure to elect a Speaker not only hinders the formation of a stable government but also raises serious concerns about Bulgaria’s ability to address pressing socioeconomic issues.
**WTN:** Several candidates were put forward, including Petar Petrov from Vazrazhdane, Atanas Atanasov from PP-DB, Natalia Kiselova from BSP, and Silvi Kirilov. What do these nominations tell us about the current political landscape?
**Dr. Petrova:** The diverse nominations reflect the ideological spectrum within the parliament. we see a right-wing candidate in petrov, a centrist candidate in Atanasov, a candidate representing the Socialist tradition in Kiselova, and an self-reliant candidate in Kirilov. This wide range highlights the difficulty in forging a consensus and finding a candidate acceptable to a broader base of parties.
**WTN:** The negotiations between the BSP and PP-DB have reportedly stalled. What are the main sticking points?
**Dr. Petrova:** the main sticking point seems to be the distribution of power within a potential coalition government.The BSP is pushing for key ministerial positions reflecting their size in parliament,while PP-DB emphasizes the need for a government capable of implementing their reform agenda. Additionally, ideological differences regarding economic policy and social issues further complicate the negotiations.
**WTN:** What are the potential consequences of this ongoing deadlock for Bulgaria?
**Dr. petrova:** The prolonged political uncertainty negatively impacts the Bulgarian economy and foreign investment. Investors are hesitant to commit capital in a country with a fractured political landscape. Moreover,the inability to form a government delays crucial reforms and hampers Bulgaria’s progress in joining the Eurozone and Schengen area.
Ultimately, the Bulgarian people are the biggest losers in this political stalemate.
**WTN:** What are the next potential steps?
**Dr. Petrova:** A new round of nominations and voting for the Speaker seems inevitable. Though, without a genuine willingness to compromise and find common ground, the stalemate is highly likely to persist.
It is indeed possible that new elections will be called if the deadlock continues.
However, given the current political climate, it is unclear if even new elections will lead to a decisive outcome.
**WTN:** Thank you for sharing your expertise, Dr. Petrova.
**Dr. Petrova:** You’re Welcome. I hope for a peaceful and democratic resolution to this crisis. Bulgaria needs a stable government to address the challenges it faces.
