Bulgaria's Parliament Still Without a Speaker After Eighth Voting Attempt

The eighth attempt to elect a Speaker of the 51st National Assembly has once again failed, with neither candidate securing the necessary votes. In the latest session, Natalia Kiselova, nominated by "BSP - United Left", received 87 votes in favor, 60 against, and 90 abstentions. She was primarily supported by the GERB party and the left-wing factions. On the other hand, Silvi Kirilov, nominated by "There Is Such a People" (TISP), garnered 99 votes in favor, but 115 were against, and 23 abstained. His candidacy was supported by the "Revival" party, the "Alliance for Rights and Freedoms" (DPS), and the "Morality, Unity, Honor" (MECH) group, while "We Continue the Change" (WCC) and "Democratic Bulgaria" remained divided, with 17 votes in favor, one against, and 19 abstentions.

Before the voting session began, GERB leader Boyko Borissov withdrew the candidacy of Raya Nazaryan, announcing that his party would now support Kiselova in the runoff. With this move, three candidates were left in the race: Petar Petrov from "Revival", Kiselova from "BSP - United Left", and Kirilov from TISP. After the initial round of voting, Kiselova and Kirilov made it to the runoff. However, despite their continued efforts, neither candidate managed to garner the required support.

After the first round, a brief one-hour break was taken, followed by another 30-minute pause before the runoff vote. The results of this round showed Kiselova receiving 87 votes in favor, with 60 against and 90 abstaining, while Kirilov got 99 votes in favor, 115 against, and 23 abstentions. Despite this, the parliament was unable to move past the deadlock. Bozhidar Bozhanov from WCC-DB called for a re-vote, but the outcome remained largely unchanged, with Kiselova again receiving 87 votes in support...