site.btaParliament Re-elects Plamen Ivanov as Head of Special Intelligence Means Oversight Bureau

The National Assembly has re-elected Plamen Ivanov as head of the National Bureau for the Control of Special Intelligence Means. Ivanov, nominated by the There Is Such a People party, was elected with 120 votes in favor, 84 against, and seven abstentions.

Georgi Hristov, nominated by GERB–UDF, was elected Deputy Chair of the Bureau. He received 115 votes in favor, 76 against, and 10 abstentions.

Parliament rejected the nominations of Tanya Petrova and Iliya Antonov—both put forward by the Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria coalition—for membership in the Bureau. Those elected to serve as members alongside Ivanov and Hristov include Angel Kurtishev, Borislav Tsvetanov, and Yasen Slavov.

According to procedural rules adopted on February 19, when the process to appoint a new Bureau leadership was officially opened, a candidate for Chair must secure more than half the votes of the Members of Parliament present.

The election was necessary as the previous leadership's term expired in 2023. The newly elected leadership and members of the National Bureau took their oath before the 51st National Assembly.