Bulgaria's 52nd National Assembly will start work

By decree of President Iliana Iotova, the newly elected 52nd National Assembly of Bulgaria will convene for its first sitting on 30 April at 10:00 a.m.

Six political formations will enter the new parliament - three fewer than in the 51st National Assembly. The largest group will be that of “Progressive Bulgaria,” with 131 MPs. It will be followed by GERB-SDS with 39 representatives.

The PP-DB coalition, which secured 37 seats, decided on the eve of the new parliament’s opening to register as two separate parliamentary groups. As a result, “Democratic Bulgaria” will have 21 MPs, while “We Continue the Change” (PP) will have 16.

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) will hold 21 seats, and “Vazrazhdane” will have 12.

At the inaugural ceremonial sitting, lawmakers are expected to outline their priorities and the first tasks they will undertake.

In accordance with the Constitution, the first session will be opened by the eldest member of parliament, Rumen Milanov of “Progressive Bulgaria.”

The National Assembly will also need to elect its Speaker. In recent years, due to the fragmented nature of parliaments, this procedure has often proved difficult. For instance, the election of Nataliya Kiselova as Speaker of the 51st parliament took 26 days and 11 attempts.

Edited by Miglena Ivanova