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The Fiftieth National Assembly (Bulgarian: Петдесетото народно събрание) is a convocation of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, formed according to the results of the early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, held on 9 June 2024.[1]
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (July 2024) |
50th National Assembly 50-то Народно събрание | |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Founded | June 19, 2024 |
| Preceded by | 49th National Assembly |
| Leadership | |
Deputy Speakers | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 240 |
| |
Political groups | |
| Meeting place | |
| "The Party House", Sofia | |
| Website | |
| parliament.bg | |
The opening session of the 50th National Assembly, as per tradition, was chaired by the oldest MP, Silvi Kirolov from ITN.[2] During the first day of the opening session, as had occurred in previous sessions, none of the candidates for speaker managed to gain a majority of 121 votes, with the GERB nominated Raya Nazaryan coming closest with 114 votes.[3] The other candidates for the position included Petar Petrov from Vazrazhdane, Silvi Kirilov from ITN and Viktoria Vasilieva from Velichie, although none managed to gather support from outside their parliamentary group.[4] The political deadlock was broken following the decision by ITN to vote in favour of all candidates for the Speakership, thus assuring a 10-seat majority for her election.[4] In her speech following her selection, Nazaryan appraised the work of the National Assembly and promised political impartiality.[4]
Following this, the Vice-Speakers of the National Assembly were similarly selected, with one being given to each of the 7 Parliamentary Groups.[5] On the 5th of July, 2024, Viktoria Vassileva, who had previously been the vice-speaker from Velichie, was automatically removed as Vice-Speaker due to the dissolution of the Velichie Parliamentary Group.[6]
The chairperson of each of the permanent committees of the 50th National Assembly is listed below, with all being elected on the 17th of July, almost three weeks after the first plenary session.[7]
| Committee | Chairperson | Parliamentary Group | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget and Fiscal Policy | Bayram Bayram | DPS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Constitutional and Judicial questions | Anna Aleksandrova | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Economy and Innovations | Petar Kanev | BSP for Bulgaria | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Energy | Delyan Dobrev | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Regional policy, development and local government | Andrey Tsekov | PP-DB | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Foreign Affairs | Boyko Borisov | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| European Affairs and European finances | Kiril Petkov | PP-DB | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Defense | Hristo Gadzhev | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| National Security and Internal Order | Manol Manev | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Oversight over the Security Services, special surveillance tools and classified information | Daniel Mitov[a] | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Agriculture, food and forestry | Ivan Ivanov | BSP for Bulgaria | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Labour and Social Policy | Denitsa Sacheva | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Education and Science | Silvi Kirilov | ITN | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Youth and Sport | Kosta Stoyanov | Revival | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Healthcare | Aleksandr Simidchiev | PP-DB | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Environment and Water | Stanislav Atanasov | DPS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Transport and Communication | Halil Letifov | DPS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| E-Governance and Informational Technologies | Bozhidar Bozhanov | PP-DB | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Culture and Media | Angel Yanchev | Revival | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Civic engagement and interactions with citizens | Stanislav Balabanov | ITN | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Human Rights and Religious Freedom | Nadezhda Yordanova | PP-DB | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Policies concerned with Bulgarians abroad | Angel Georgiev | Revival | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Prevention of corruption | Georgi Georgiev | GERB-SDS | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Tourism | Tsoncho Ganev | Revival | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Demographic policies, children and families | Kostadin Kostadinov | Revival | 17 July 2024 | Incumbent | |
Three temporary parliamentary committees were formed during the tenure of the 50th National Assembly.
Traditionally, following the election of a speaker, a temporary committee is formed in order to review the parliament's rules.[10] Anna Aleksandrova, from GERB, was elected with 129 votes, including the majority of GERB, DPS and Velichie MPs, as well as some MPs from PP-DB.[10] The decision to support Anna Aleksandrova led to debates between Revival and Velichie MPs, with Revival accusing Velichie of covertly supporting GERB.[10]
During debates about the rulebook, two proposals were made in order to not issue wages to MPs during the campaign period, as well as subject all MPs to drug tests.[11] However, both ideas were ultimately rejected both in committee and by the plenary session.[11]
On the 11th of July, with 143 votes for, the parliament voted to form a commission to investigate potential financial crimes committed by Velichie founder and businessman, Ivelin Mihaylov.[12] The motion to form the committee was presented by three former members of the Velichie Parliamentary Group.[12]
During committee hearings, allegations of were heard of Mihaylov's role in various forms of financial misconduct, including: de-frauding investors, running a pyramid scheme, undertaking banking activity without a license and intimidating investors to avoid litigation.[13] On the 24th of July, Caretaker Minister of the Interior, Kalin Stoyanov, was heard by the commission, revealing that the Ministry of Interior had began investigating Mihaylov for financial crimes as early as 2019, however none of the cases had been prosecuted.[14]
On the 8th of August, the report of the commission was officially presented before parliament, with it concluding that there was reasonable evidence of Mihaylov's participation in financial crimes such as money laundering and building a pyramid scheme.[15] A classified part of the report was directed to the General Prosecutors Office.[16]
On the 1st of August, an commission was formed to investigate whether the mayor of Dospat, Elin Radev, had abused his power and engaged in corrupt practices, with its tenure limitted until the 1st of September.[17] The commissions chairman was selected as Aleksandr Vulchev, from ITN.[17]
The commission held a record-breaking seven hour contiguous session, during which Mayor Radev, members of the local administration, as well as supporters and opponents of the mayor were heard.[18]
In early September, a report on the activity of the commission was officially prepared, however it was not adopted either within the commission due to a boycott of the commission's activity by GERB.[19] Despite this, a decision was taken by the National Assembly to send relevant information from the project-report to various law enforcement agencies.[20]
In addition to the above listed committees, the parliament voted to extend the work of the temporary committee from the 49th National Assembly investigating the assassination of suspected Bulgarian mafia member, Martin "The Notary" Bozhanov and the potential role of another suspected member of the Bulgarian mafia, Pepi Evroto, in it.[21] The formation of the committee was supported by 117 votes, with 107 votes against coming from GERB and DPS.[21] Former Justice Minister in the Petkov Government, Nadezhda Yordanova, was selected as the committees chairman.[22] One of the most notable events in the committees activity was the unexpected appearance of DPS Co-Chairman, Delyan Peevski, to a hearing before the committee, which Peevski used in order to insinuate illegal activity from PPDB.[23] Members of the committee from PP-DB, in turn have accused GERB and DPS of obstructing the work of the committee.[24] Ultimately, the committee did not produce a report on its activity by the end of the 50th National Assembly
7 Parliamentary Groups were registered at the opening session of the 50th National Assembly.[25]
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| GERB—SDS | 68 / 240 |
68 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Boyko Borisov | GERB | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Denitsa Sacheva | GERB | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Raya Nazaryan | GERB | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Temenuzhka Petkova | GERB | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Rumen Hristov | SDS | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Rumen Nenkov | GERB | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
The partisan breakdown of the seats within the Parliamentary Group is as follows.
| Name of Party | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| GERB | 65 / 240 |
65 / 240 | |
| SDS | 2 / 240 |
2 / 240 | |
| George's Day | 1 / 240 |
1 / 240 | |
The Parliamentary Group had no changes in its composition or leadership between the convocation and disbanding of the 50th National Assembly.
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| DPS | 47 / 240 |
22 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Delyan Peevski | DPS[a] | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Bayram Bayram | DPS | 26 June 2024[28] | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Erten Anisova | DPS | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Iskra Mihaylova | DPS[a] | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Yordan Tsonev | DPS[a] | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Halil Letifov | DPS[a] | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Hamid Hamid | DPS[a] | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Elvan Gyurkash | DPS | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
Curiously, the nominal co-chairman of DPS at the time of the National Assemblies opening, Dzhevdet Chakarov, was not a member of the Parliamentary Groups leadership.[26]
On the 25th of June, long-time DPS MP, Filiz Hyusmenova, resigned as an MP citing poor electoral results in her constituency of Varna[29] She was replaced by MP-candidate Hyusni Hasan Adem.[30]
On the 27th of June, first-time MP, Aysel Rufad, was expelled from the DPS Parliamentary Group, with no official reason being provided.[31] On the 3d of July, long-time MP from Plovdiv-Province, Ramadan Atalay, was unanimously expelled from the DPS Parliamentary Group, after the Province-Leadership of the party removed their confidence from the MP due to a decrease in votes.[32] Shortly thereafter, MP from Targovishte Province, Dzheyhan Ibryamov, was similarly expelled from the group officially due to the withdrawal of confidence by the province leadership.[33]
On the 11th of July, 17 MPs in the group, including co-chairman Dzhevdet Chakarov, were expelled, in what was widely considered a by-product of the conflict between Parliamentary Group Chairman, Delyan Peevski, and DPS Honorary Chairman, Ahmed Dogan.[34] Two MPs, Ahmed Vranchev and Dimitar Nikolov, left the DPS Parliamentary Group in solidarity with the expelled.[34] Following the split of the group, 25 MPs remained in the official DPS Parliamentary Group.[34]
On the 12th of July, two more DPS MPs, Myumum Myumum and Ibraim Zaydenov, left the parliamentary group in support of the expelled.[35] Hyusni Adem, another DPS MP, left the group on the 17th of July.[36]
By the end of the 50th National Assembly, the official DPS Parliamentary Group had only 22 members, with the majority of the original group sitting as independents.
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| PP-DB | 39 / 240 |
39 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Nikolay Denkov | PP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Bozhidar Bozhanov | Yes, Bulgaria! | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Kalina Konstantinova | PP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Lyudmila Ilieva | DSB | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Stoyu Stoev | PP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Tatyana Sultanova-Siveva | PP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
The partisan breakdown of the Parliamentary Group is as follows:
| Party | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| PP & affiliated independents | 22 / 240 |
22 / 240 | |
| Yes, Bulgaria! | 10 / 240 |
9 / 240 | |
| DSB | 8 / 240 |
9 / 240 | |
Leader of Yes, Bulgaria!, Hristo Ivanov, announced shortly after the election results that he would resign both as leader of Yes, Bulgaria! and as an MP in the next parliament.[37] After being sworn in, Ivanov resigned on the 21st of June.[38] He was replaced by Stoyan Mihalev, a member of DSB, who was sworn in on the 26th of June.[39]
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| Revival | 38 / 240 |
38 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Kostadin Kostadinov | Revival | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Petar Petrov | Revival | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Iskra Mihaylova | Revival | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| BSP for Bulgaria | 19 / 240 |
17 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Borislav Gutsanov | BSP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Ivan Ivanov | BSP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Deyan Dechev | BSP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Ivan Petkov | BSP | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Party | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| BSP | 18 / 240 |
14 / 240 | |
| Independents | 1 / 240 |
3 / 240 | |
Prior to the convocation of the parliament, there was confusion about who the Chairman of the BSP for Bulgaria parliamentary group would be. On 14 June, an announcement was made that the group would be led by Aleksandr Svilenski, following a vote by the "political council" of the BSP for Bulgaria coalition.[40] This decision was contested by the BSP National Council, which voted to appoint Borislav Gutsanov head of the parliamentary group on the 15th June.[41] Gutsanov's selection was confirmed on the 20th of June following a vote by the Parliamentary Group.[42]
On the first day of the newly convened parliament, the BSP Parliamentary Group voted in favour of expeling Kaloyan Metodiev, who the National Council had requested resign his seat, due to him receiving the seat in violation of a previous National Council decision.[43] Thus Kaloyan Metodiev became the first independent MP in the new National Assembly.
On the 4th of September, long-time BPS MP, Mikhail Stavrev, resigned from the Parliamentary Group following the decision to expel Korneliya Ninova and other pro-Ninova politicians.[44]
Despite the expulsion of Ninonva, Svilenski and Chenchev from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, they continued to sit with the BSP for Bulgaria Parliamentary Group until the disbandment of the 50th National Assembly.
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| ITN | 16 / 240 |
16 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership is as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Toshko Yordanov | ITN | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Stanislav Balabanov | ITN | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Ivaylo Kostadinov | ITN | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Stanislav Bogdanski | ITN | 20 June 2024 | Incumbent | |
| Name of Group | Seats | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Session | Dissolution | ||
| Velichie | 13 / 240 |
0 / 240 | |
The parliamentary group's leadership was as follows:[26]
| Position | Name | Political Party | Term start | Term End | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary Group Chair | Nikolay Markov | Velichie[a] | 20 June 2024 | 5 July 2024[b] | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Darin Georgiev | Velichie | 20 June 2024 | 5 July 2024[b] | |
| Parliamentary Group Vice-chair | Georgi Kukov | Velichie[c] | 20 June 2024 | 5 July 2024[b] | |
| Parliamentary Group Secretary | Irena Neginova | Velichie | 20 June 2024 | 5 July 2024[b] | |
A conflict emerged between the parties founder, Ivelin Mihaylov, and Parliamentary Group Chairman, Nikolay Markov, which led the Central Council of Velichie to withdraw its confidence from the group's leadership.[47]
On the 5th July, 6 MPs from the Velichie Parliamentary Group officially announced their intention to leave it, thus dissolving the group.[48] The MPs, in a briefing to the press, justified their decision due to a loss of confidence in the Parliamentary Group leadership.[49] The MPs claimed that they had attempted to remove the current leadership, however their efforts proved unsuccessful due to obstruction by the leadership.[49]
On the 1st of July, as part of the government-formation procedure, Zhelyazkov, as the PM-Candidate from GERB officially received the first mandate and submitted his project-cabinet.[50] The debate for the investiture of the cabinet was scheduled for 13:00, on the 3d of July.[51]
The candidacy of Zhelyazkov for PM was introduced to the parliament by GERB-SDS parliamentary group Vice-Chair, Temenuzhka Petkova, which was followed by Zhelayzkov introducing the personal composition of the project cabinet.[52]
Zhelyazkov's speech was followed by a statement by former Prime Minister and PP-DB parliamentary group Chairman, Nikolai Denkov, who chastised Zhelyazkov for not consulting other political forces in the negotiation process and for nominating candidate-Ministers who lacked the necessary acumen to lead Bulgaria forward.[52]
During the debate about the government's investiture, GERB-SDS parliamentary group Chairman Boyko Borisov made a short statement adressed towards PP co-leader Kiril Petkov, hearkening to the shared responsibility the two parties held for the Denkov Government.[52] Kiril Petkov, in response, demanded that Borisov show genuine interest in cooperation and apologise for his alleged role in the collapse of the Denkov and Petkov Government.[52]
The debate was generally dominated by mutual allegations and attacks between representatives of the PP-DB and GERB-SDS parliamentary groups.[52]
Ultimately, the Zhelyazkov government failed in its investiture vote, receiving only 98 votes for.
| Investiture Rosen Zhelyazkov (GERB) | ||
| Ballot → | 3 July 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Required majority → | 120 of 240 | |
98 / 240 | ||
138 / 240 | ||
2 / 240 | ||
2 / 240 | ||
| Result → | No  | |
| Source[53] | ||
By early July, a high number of unaffiliated MPs had appeared in the parliament due to internal developments within the individual Parliamentary Groups.[54]
On the 12th of July, during debates about the Parliament's rulebook in the National Assembly, BSP MP, Aleksandr Svilenski, proposed the removal of a clause prohibitting the formation of new parliamentary groupings by unaffiliated MPs or the entrance of an MP into a new Parliamentary Group (commonly known as "political nomadism").[54] Svilenski justified the legislative change by citing the high number of unaffiliated MPs and the possible obstructions to the functioning of the parliament due to the restrictions on the activity of unaffiliated MPs (such as less opportunities to participate in parliamentary committees).[55] The proposed changes were however, ultimately rejected due to opposition from most of the other parliamentary parties.[55]
Ultimately, none of the unaffiliated MPs were given a place in the distribution of the committees.[56]
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