site.btaGERB-UDF to Wait for BSP-United Left Decision before Discussing Rotation of National Assembly Chairmanship

GERB-UDF would wait for BSP – United Left to make a decision regarding the possible rotation of the National Assembly Chair before discussing the matter at the Joint Governance Council, Deputy National Assembly Chair and GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Raya Nazaryan said in a Sunday morning interview with bTV, the coalition’s said in a press release.

She recalled that during Tuesday’s meeting of the Joint Governance Council, GERB-UDF and There Is Such a People (TISP) had raised the issue of introducing a rotational chairmanship of the National Assembly as part of the shared governance arrangement among the three coalition partners – GERB-UDF, BSP – United Left, and TISP. The announcement was later published on GERB’s official Facebook page.

Nazaryan recalled that when the 51st National Assembly was constituted, there had been several unsuccessful attempts to elect a Chair. She said that the eventual election had been driven not by political considerations but by the need for an administrative solution that would allow Parliament to begin its work and start negotiations on forming a governing majority. The coalition agreement did not explicitly include the position of National Assembly Chair, which, along with the appointments of regional governors and their deputies, had been left aside during the talks, she further stressed.

Nazaryan said that after discussions held within the Joint Governance Council earlier in October, a new mechanism had been proposed to formalize the shared chairmanship arrangement. She added that the coalition would await the outcome of the BSP National Council meeting later on Sunday, after which the Joint Governance Council would convene to address the rotation issue.

She declined to comment on the performance of Nataliya Kiselova, the current National Assembly Chair (BSP – United Left), saying only that nothing in politics is owed to anyone and that every Parliament faces its own challenges.

Looking back, Nazaryan said that when coalition talks began on forming a stable majority, the political conversation had not involved the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning (MRF – New Beginning) becoming a formal fourth partner. Instead, the goal had been to allow the group to exercise its parliamentary rights under the rules of procedure, including participation in parliamentary bodies, without specific discussions about which committees this would involve.

Nazaryan said GERB-UDF appreciated MRF – New Beginning’s declaration of support for the government’s strategic objectives and their decision not to take part in parliamentary bodies in order to avoid creating additional political tension at a critical time for the country. She stressed that within the coalition, serving a full mandate was viewed as a rule rather than an exception, and that the partners were committed to following established procedures.

She also said that the coalition had set itself several key political priorities, including financial stability, the 2025 state budget, the renegotiation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and Bulgaria’s full integration into the EU through its eurozone membership.

Nazaryan added that while the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms had decided to leave the coalition over differences on strategic priorities, MRF – New Beginning had continued to support these key policy processes, thereby helping to maintain political stability.