site.btaOpposition Warns of Democracy Backsliding amid Proposed Changes to Parliament's Rules of Procedure, Progressive Bulgaria Denies

For third consecutive day, opposition political forces and Progressive Bulgaria (PB) clashed over the amendments to the National Assembly’s rules of procedure proposed by the Progressive Bulgaria (PB) ruling coalition. At Wednesday's plenary sitting of the legislature, opposition parliamentary groups warned of democratic backsliding, while PB denied accusations and defended the changes. 

The Proposed Amendments

Some of PB’s proposals are related to parliamentary oversight - the possibility of requesting information and documents from State institutions, as well as the guaranteed 14-day deadline for a response, is being removed. The new text provides only that State and local authorities and their administrations are obliged to assist MPs in connection with the exercise of their powers. In addition, the minimum deadlines for reviewing bills in parliamentary committees are being shortened and the time for procedural statements is being reduced.

The standing committees are to review bills no earlier than 24 hours after they have been distributed, the amendments provide. At present, this text in the rules of procedure states that bills are reviewed no earlier than 72 hours after being received by the members of the respective committee, unless the committee decides otherwise. It is proposed that standing committees discuss simultaneously all bills regulating the same matter submitted to the National Assembly, unless the committee decides otherwise.

The new texts also provide that, in exceptional cases, the Chair of the National Assembly may propose a change to the agenda, with the requirement for prior consultations between the parliamentary groups in the Parliament’s Council of Chairpersons being removed.

It is proposed that ad hoc committees be elected by the National Assembly upon a proposal by one-fifth of the MPs (48 MPs), rather than, as has been the case until now, upon a proposal by a parliamentary group.

PB also proposes removing the restriction that a prime minister, deputy prime minister or minister may postpone an oral response to a question no more than twice due to illness, an official trip abroad or urgent circumstances.

Wednesday's Debate

Democratic Bulgaria (DB) Floor Leader Nadejda Iordanova read out a declaration from the parliamentary group stressed that Parliament is not merely a place where the majority simply counts its votes, it is the place where those in power must be held accountable and provide answers. "If there is no real debate and oversight of those in power here, democracy is emptied of its substance," she said. "Do not confuse having a majority with the right to act without accountability. Power in a democracy is never the property of the ruling majority," DB warned. She underlined that "a captured state is not liberated through convenient procedural restrictions." The ruling coalition is proposing changes to the rules that restrict the opposition’s rights in a way that previous majorities did not dare to do, Iordanova noted.

Vazrazhdane Deputy Floor Leader Peter Petrov said that the amendments proposed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev contradict the Constitution, the principle of the rule of law, as well as the principle that Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. With these proposals, which are disguised as efficiency, what is actually being done is turning the National Assembly into a mechanical instrument of the Government,” Petrov said. Questions addressed to Prime Minister Rumen Radev are already being diverted and returned, with two inquiries by Vazrazhdane having been returned, he added: “I hope this does not become a bad practice."

Progressive Bulgaria MP Anton Kutev argued that the ruling coalition does not want to restrict the opposition’s rights through proposed amendments to the National Assembly’s rules of procedure. "Our goal is for Parliament not to deal with empty matters, not to engage in meaningless disputes and discussions, but to focus on drafting legislation that can pass quickly and effectively, so that we can adopt more than five bills a week, which is hardly possible under the current rules," he claimed in the corridors of Parliament. “I heard nonsense claiming that legislative initiative was being restricted – nothing of the sort. It is granted by the Constitution, they have the right to introduce as many legislative initiatives as they want,” Kutev said. According to Kutev, the 48 signatures required to convene an ad hoc committee are not an insurmountable number at all.