Socialists Submitted Petition to Oust Parliament Speaker

MPs from BSP for Bulgaria submitted a petition for expulsion of the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Dimitar Glavchev. They said they were supported by MPs from the Movembet for rights and Freedoms (MRF). BSP said they would walk out.

On 16^th of November, Parliament started work after the third attempt to collect quorum. The BSP and MRF groups were not in the plenary hall.

Political tension is getting worse after Wednesday’s political clashes between the ruling powers and the opostion. BSP has collected 88 signatures in support of theri request for resignation of the Speaker of Pareliment, Dimitar Glavchev. On 15^th of November, Glavchev expelled BSP leader Kornelia Ninova and MP Anton Kutev from the plenary sitting. According to the BSP, the Speaker of Parliament has exceeded his powers and acted in violation of the rules.

The tensions started when Socialist leader Kornelia Ninova asked Prime Minister Boyko Borissov to come to Parliament to explain recent comments from a few days ago that there are people in Parliament involved in drug trafficking and vote buying. The majority turned down this motion and Ninova took the floor to read out a declaration but the Parliament Speaker ordered her out of the sitting for insulting the MPs and the Prime Minister. The BSP MPs started shouting "Resign! Resign!" and banging on the desks. He also ordered the socialist MP Anton Kutev out of the siting for calling for Speaker’s resignation.

Then the BSP MPs out and initiated a petition among MPs to call for the resignation of Glavchev as Speaker.