Historic Stalemate: Bulgarian Parliament Fails to Elect Speaker for Seventh Time (UPDATED)

The Bulgarian parliament has entered its 18th day without electing a speaker, marking a historic impasse in the 51st National Assembly. On the seventh attempt to resolve the deadlock, lawmakers failed to reach a consensus, despite multiple rounds of voting and various consultations among political factions. The failure to elect a speaker has stalled parliamentary proceedings, leaving crucial legislative work in limbo.

This morning, the parliamentary session began with four nominations for the position of speaker. GERB proposed Raya Nazaryan, "There is Such a People" (TISP) stood by their candidate, Silvi Kirilov, "Revival" reintroduced Petar Petrov, and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) – United Left once again nominated Natalia Kiselova after deciding against an alternative candidate, Petar Kanev. Each of the candidates faced significant opposition, with none securing the required majority in the initial round of voting.

In the first round, the GERB candidate received 69 votes in favor, while 161 voted against, and eight abstained. TISP's candidate, Kirilov, gained 66 votes of support, with 114 against and 58 abstentions. Kiselova received 50 votes in favor, and Petrov garnered 46, leaving both far from the necessary majority. As a result, the runoff featured Raya Nazaryan and Silvi Kirilov. Despite Democratic Bulgaria (DB) announcing its conditional support for Kirilov to break the deadlock, the candidate fell short, receiving 118 votes in favor, with 103 against and 17 abstentions.

After a procedural re-vote, Kirilov's support decreased to 117, failing again to secure the majority required for election. The session chair, Kirilov, declared no speaker had been elected and called for consultations among party leaders, adjourning the meeting until the following day. Throughout the voting process, technical issues were noted, including one DB MP mistakenly voting against Kirilov due to a malfunctioning console. The support from DB for Kirilov remained insufficient, as 2 MPs from the "We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) group refrained from backing his candidacy. Reportedly, these were Daniel Lorer and Yavor Bozhankov.

Update: Following today's vote for the Speaker of the National Assembly, "We Continue the Change" has demanded the resignations of Daniel Lorer and Yavor Bozhankov. By decision of the Executive Council of the political party "We Continue the Change", Daniel Lorer is expelled from the party and all its bodies, according to a message on WCC's Facebook page. Read more on this latest topic.

Earlier in the session, GERB's parliamentary group had appealed for support for Raya Nazaryan, describing her as a responsible choice. Meanwhile, "Revival" re-nominated Petar Petrov, and BSP faced internal hesitation, opting at the last minute to reintroduce Natalia Kiselova rather than Kanev. According to OFFNews, Kanev had the potential to secure enough votes, but GERB leader Boyko Borissov reportedly withdrew his party's potential backing over fears of internal division.

The prolonged impasse has intensified tensions among parliamentary groups, leading to sharp exchanges, particularly between WCC-DB and "Revival." Despite various efforts to build consensus, including proposed compromises, no resolution has been achieved.

An incident

Tensions flared again in Bulgaria's National Assembly as MPs from We Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (WCC-DB) and Revival clashed, this time escalating into a physical altercation on the sidelines.

The incident occurred during a break in the session when heated exchanges between WCC-DB MP Manol Peykov and Revival MP Slavcho Krumov led to a confrontation. Both Peykov and Krumov are known for engaging in vocal disputes from their seats during debates.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene on the sidelines. A reporter from Club Z observed a verbal altercation where Peykov confronted Revival MPs:
"I'm coming to see how you're going to hit me, you scumbag! Get out of here!" Peykov shouted. Krumov retorted, "What, get out, get out!" Peykov then accused Krumov of pushing him and spilling water on him.

The confrontation escalated further when Peykov turned to reporters, accusing Krumov of physically assaulting him:
"Here are the journalists. Come and explain why you hit me! Why you're pushing me and hitting me!" Krumov, however, walked away without responding.

When asked to identify his alleged aggressor, Peykov described Krumov as "one of the more aggressive ones" and claimed he "looked a little drugged." Peykov denied provoking the clash, attributing it to tensions from the parliamentary proceedings:
"I think it’s because of what’s happening in the hall. He just can’t control himself. He attacked me for no reason."

Peykov also dismissed accusations of misconduct on his part, insisting his remarks had only been directed at Revival leader Kostadin Kostadinov and were based on merit.
"I called him an idiot because that’s what he is. This is a parliament; people are supposed to talk here, not push and attack each other," Peykov said emotionally.

Slavcho Krumov later countered the allegations, accusing Peykov of being intoxicated and calling for breathalyzer tests for MPs.

This incident marks another clash between Peykov and Revival members, adding to the list of confrontations in recent parliamentary sessions.

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