site.btaNational Assembly Chair Kiselova: MPs Must Refocus Before June Eurozone Report

National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova on Saturday urged parliamentary groups to drop talk of dissolving the legislature and, by June 4, tackle the backlog of reforms ahead of the euro-area convergence report.

Appearing on television, Kiselova asked whether fresh elections would help or whether the present National Assembly should finish work “postponed over the last four or five years.” She argued the government deserved the customary 100-day grace period and warned that “many procedures are being used to delay the work of the National Assembly”.

"Calming the situation in the country and maintaining good standing with international partners are primary tasks, I think the government is handling these well," said Kiselova. "I think the government achieved several important small steps in its first hundred days," she added, citing the 2025 budget and a contract for 35 new trains.

Responding to President Rumen Radev’s claim that the Zhelyazkov Cabinet represents “a new beginning of the Borissov model,” Kiselova said the constitution allows tension between the presidency and the executive, adding that the absence of a clear parliamentary majority “leaves room for this type of interpretation.”

"In my view, both the work of the National Assembly and seeking support for the government require looking for broader majorities, so it becomes clear that the initiatives being realised support not just one majority or the government led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, but also longer-term goals," she said.

Kiselova noted that Democracy for Rights and Freedoms (DRF)-MRF’s exit from the majority still allows cooperation on individual policies.

Requests to lift MPs’ immunities will be handled at the next plenary sitting when regulator appointments is also expected to move forward.

Addressing the case in which she wore a T-shirt advertising a gambling company at a football match, Kiselova said that this incident reveals “a very serious problem in Bulgarian society – addiction.” She added, “I am raising an issue, and raising an issue is never an easy thing to do.”

Asked who will head the delegation to the Vatican for the May 24 visit, Kiselova said tradition dictates that this year “it is the government’s turn”.