site.btaDeputy Chair, Members of Communications Regulation Commission from the Parliamentary Quota Elected

Parliament has filled positions in the Communications Regulation Commission (CRC) from the National Assembly's quota by electing a Deputy Chair and two members. The majority approved GERB-UDF's nominee Kristina Andonova-Hitrova as Deputy Chair. She received 112 votes in favor, 54 against, and 44 abstentions.

Petar Mutafchiev, nominated by BSP – United Left, and Neycho Velichkov from There Is Such a People were elected as members of the CRC. Mutafchiev received 117 votes in favor, 60 against, and 36 abstentions. Velichkov received 114 votes in favor, 68 against, and 36 abstentions.

Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria nominated Zhulieta Mandazhieva for membership, but she did not receive enough support—only 27 votes in favor, 82 against, and 101 abstentions.

Another nominee, Rushen Riza from the Democracy, Rights and Freedoms Parliamentary Group (DRF), also failed to gain sufficient support, receiving 18 votes in favor, 93 against, and 99 abstentions.

During her hearing before the transport committee, GERB-UDF’s Kristina Andonova-Hitrova stated that one of her main priorities is administrative capacity, especially in the context of the new responsibilities the regulator will take on—digital services, artificial intelligence, and digital data. Her second focus is improving the analytical work of the commission. The third priority, she said, is ensuring the principles of consultation and transparency.

During the plenary discussion, MPs from Vazrazhdane called for reforming the regulator. Party leader Kostadin Kostadinov announced plans to propose a comprehensive administrative reform aimed at eliminating what he referred to as “parasitic” structures.

Martin Dimitrov from Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria questioned why Bulgaria still lacks a virtual mobile operator. “We raised this issue during the hearings—we believe the CRC has not established rules for such operators,” he said. He emphasized the need for more competition and noted that all the candidates committed to this goal, except for GERB-UDF’s nominee Kristina Andonova-Hitrova. “We give a poor rating to the current CRC. Such operators exist in Kosovo and throughout the EU, so we believe a new, more proactive commission is necessary,” Dimitrov commented.