site.btaUPDATED Parliament Approves Rules for Election of New BTA Director

The National Assembly Thursday approved, with 180 votes in favour, none against, and 16 abstentions, the procedural rules for nominating and electing the next Director General of the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). The decision was the first item on the agenda of Thursday’s plenary session.

The rules, adopted by the parliamentary Committee on Culture and Media on October 23, set out the conditions and procedures for submitting nominations and conducting the election. The current Director General of BTA, Kiril Valchev, will complete his term on January 27, 2026. According to Article 12, paragraph 1 of the BTA Act, the National Assembly must elect a new Director General two months before the incumbent’s term expires.

Under the approved rules, nominations for Director General may be submitted in writing by parliamentary groups or individual MPs to the Committee on Culture and Media, via the Speaker of the National Assembly, within seven days of the decision’s adoption. The Committee will then hold a public hearing for all eligible candidates.

The new Director General will be elected by a majority of more than half of the MPs present. If no candidate receives the required majority, the National Assembly will launch a new procedure for the election.

The election of the BTA Director General will be broadcast live on the Parliament’s website, as decided by the MPs.

Within one month of their election, the new Director General must submit a declaration of compatibility in accordance with the Anti-Corruption Act and the BTA Act.

Angel Yanchev MP (Vazrazhdane) noted that the nomination period should have been kept at three weeks and not be reduced to one week. He also said that Kiril Valchev would likely be nominated again, possibly by GERB and perhaps with BSP’s support, and that there may be no other candidates. He said that while BTA is the best managed public media outlet in Bulgaria in recent years, it is important to have diversity and multiple candidates in the election procedure.