First sitting of Bulgaria’s Parliament after summer recess

The new session of Bulgaria’s Parliament was opened on 4th of September to the sound of the national and the European Union anthems.

The leaders of parliamentary groups are expected to outline the priorities for the new political season. This will include the adoption of the budget for next year, incomes and the topic of security.

It also expected that an emphasis will be placed on the upcoming local elections, scheduled to take place on October 27, 2019.

President Rumen Radev and Vice-President Iliana Yotova were present at the beginning of the plenary session.

In his address to the MPs, the President expressed criticism to the power. He warned that if there were no changes, the apathy would continue to empty Bulgaria or the street would sweep the status quo.

The criticisms of President Rumen Radev have shifted the focus away from the messages of the political forces, from the priorities they traditionally outline at the beginning of each parliamentary season.

President Radev demanded greater control by the public over the institutions and greater transparency. He said the governance programme of the government had not gone through the approval of the plenary and called on the executive to report to MPs on the work done.

The President also outlined some of the main problems in the country - corruption at high levels of power, poverty,demographic crisis and said that Bulgaria is losing its most valuable wealth – the young people.

Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria: When power is gradually taken away from the people and concentrated in a narrow circle of people, they transform it into economic benefits and media comfort and invest it in even more power. With such a formula there is no development. We also obviously need a provision that obliges the Prime Minister to appear at least once a month in the parliamentary hall to answer questions about government policy. The time for change is inexorably running out, just as young and capable Bulgarians are. That is why my call in this parliamentary session is to concentrate, among other things, on efforts that are important for the country's future. If that doesn't happen, the apathy will continue to empty Bulgaria, or the street will sweep the status quo.

The ruling commented that the President did not know the government's governance programme and also accused him of drawing dividing lines. In all the speeches heard from the parliamentary rostrum, emphasis was also placed on the forthcoming local elections.

MPs said the topic of the local vote should not displace topics that are important for the society and the good tone should be maintained.