Bulgaria Finally Elects Raya Nazaryan as Speaker After Parliamentary Drama

Raya Nazaryan has assumed the role of Speaker of the 50th National Assembly with the backing of GERB, DPS, and "There Is Such a People" (TISP), securing 131 votes in favor, while 66 were against and 39 abstained. Her election followed two days of negotiations and procedural delays.

The second day of the session began with a 30-minute break requested by the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS). The session resumed after yesterday's failed attempt to elect a speaker, initiated by Silvi Kirilov of TISP, who proposed a vote on the election rules. This led to objections from Hamid Hamid (DPS), citing that the rules were already voted on the previous day. Kirilov cited legal consultations earlier that morning to support his proposal.

Hamid Hamid then called for another 30-minute break to clarify the matter, which was later followed by a second break initiated by GERB. Alexander Nenkov indicated that they were still seeking necessary support for Raya Nazaryan's candidacy. Despite requesting an hour's break, only 25 minutes were granted by the chairman before nominations proceeded.

During the nominations, Temenuzka Petkova from GERB nominated Raya Nazaryan again, while "Revival" reaffirmed Petar Petrov's candidacy and Toshko Yordanov nominated Silvi Kirilov. The party "Greatness" put forward Victoria Vasileva instead of Yuliana Mateeva, formerly associated with Slavi Trifonov.

Following the nominations, Toshko Yordanov confirmed that TISP would support all candidates. He reiterated Slavi Trifonov's stance of not supporting a government formed by GERB and DPS, awaiting TISP's turn to propose an expert government.

Victoria Vasileva received support from her party and one TISP deputy, securing 13 votes. Petar Petrov gathered 54 votes in...