National Assembly (Bulgaria)

42.694456°N 23.332893°E / 42.694456; 23.332893

National Assembly
49th National Assembly
Type
Type
Leadership
Rosen Zhelyazkov, GERB
since 19 April 2023
Structure
Seats240
Political groups
Government (132)
  GERB—SDS (69)
  PP–DB (63)

Confidence and support (36)

  DPS (36)

Opposition (72)

  Revival (37)
  BSPzB (23)
  ITN (11)
  Independent (1)
Elections
Proportional representation
Last election
2 April 2023
Next election
by 2 April 2027
Meeting place
Website
parliament.bg
Politics of Bulgaria
Constitution
Presidency
  • Executive
  • Legislative
Major political parties
Recent elections
Administrative divisions
Foreign relations

The National Assembly (Bulgarian: Народно събрание, romanized: Narodno Sybranie (lit. People’s Assembly) is the unicameral parliament and legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria. The first National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution.

During the communist period between 1946 and 1989, the National Assembly had been characterized as a rubber stamp for the Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP) or as only being able to affect issues of low sensitivity and salience to the Bulgarian communist regime. The BCP controlled nomination and election processes at every level in its political system, allowing it to stamp out any opposition.

Ordinary National Assembly

The National Assembly consists of 240 members elected for a four-year term, elected by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies. Political parties must garner a minimum of 4% of the national vote in order to enter the Assembly. Bulgaria has a multi-party system.

The Assembly is responsible for enactment of laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, selection and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers, declaration of war, concluding peace and deployment of troops outside Bulgaria, and ratification of international treaties and agreements. It is headed and presided by the Chairperson of the National Assembly of Bulgaria.

The Assembly administers the publication of the State Gazette, Bulgaria's gazette of record.

Procedure

By the Constitution, the National Assembly is inaugurated by the eldest elected member of Parliament. On the first day of sitting, they preside over the election of the Speaker (Chairperson) and two deputies.[1]

Once elected, the Speakers retain their party allegiances, which means that they remain as MPs and are allowed to take part in debates and voting.

121 MPs must be present in order for any session to commence, and 50%+1 of those present must vote "for" any point of order or bill to be approved.

Ministers may be chosen from among the MPs or they may be experts outside Parliament. All MPs picked to be Cabinet ministers lose their MP status, and other members from their party are called up to Parliament to fill the seats they vacate.

Parliament sits Wednesday to Friday, and sessions begin at 9 am. Parliamentary committees sit in the afternoons.

Old Parliament House

In 2020-2021, the old Parliament House was only used for special occasions, such as the opening and closing of the legislative session or the inauguration of a new president.[2] Following the April 2021 parliamentary elections, the legislature returned to the old parliament building.

The Chamber is made up of 286 seats, all facing the 5-seat speaker's bench in a 26 x 11 arrangement. In front of the Speaker, also facing the chamber, is the pulpit, in front of which is the stenographers' desk.

Parties sit in parliamentary groups, loosely following the rule that the political left sits to the Speaker's left and the political right to his right. Generally, the largest parties choose the chamber's left,center or centre wings, with smaller blocks accommodating wherever convenient. Individual MPs will sometimes sit entirely outside their block or stand, and, since compulsory electronic registration was implemented, may even vote from any seat in the house.

To the speaker's right, also facing the chamber, is a section with 17 seats reserved for the Cabinet, any of whom may or may not be present at any time during a parliamentary session. Any of them may, however, be called up by Parliament at any time if needed.[3]

Largo Parliament House

Located in the former Bulgarian Communist Party headquarters building in the Largo, The Chamber is made up of 270 seats arranged in a hemicycle of twelve rows, all facing the 7-seat speaker's bench. In front of the Speaker, also facing the chamber, is the pulpit containing a stenographer's desk at the center and two sections reserved for the Cabinet, each with 13 seats, at the sides.

The new plenary hall, which is located under a glass roof, is larger than the old one and can be easily remodeled to fit the 400-member Grand National Assembly.[2] It was used briefly in 2020-2021 during the end of GERB's third government. Following the April 2021 parliamentary elections, the legislature returned to the old parliament building.

Grand National Assembly
Main article: Grand National Assembly of Bulgaria
The building of the first National Assembly of Bulgaria in Veliko Tarnovo

In addition to the ordinary National Assembly, a Grand National Assembly (Велико народно събрание, Veliko narodno sabranie) may be convened for matters of special jurisdiction, such as: 1) Adoption of a new Constitution; 2) Amendment of specific articles of the Constitution, e.g. those related with the basic civil rights; 3) Changes in the territory (gain or loss) of the Republic, etc. Before the World War II the Grand National Assembly was also competent in electing the Regency of the Bulgarian Kingdom if the tzar had not come to age. The First and the Third Grand National Assemblies also elected the first two Bulgarian monarchs after the liberation from Ottoman rule – Prince (Knjaz) Alexander Battenberg and Prince (Knjaz) Ferdinand Saxe Coburg-Gotha.

As an organ, the Grand National Assembly was introduced with the Tarnovo Constitution of 1879, abolished in 1947 and reintroduced with the 1991 constitution. In different constitutional provisions, it was constituted by a different number of representatives. According to the 1991 Constitution, it consists of 400 deputies (as opposed to 240 in the ordinary one). The 1991 Constitution was adopted by the Seventh Grand National Assembly and was composed of 200 members being elected by proportional representation and the other 200 under a first-past-the-post voting system. The Constitution provides that the elections for Grand National Assembly shall be conducted in the same manner as those for the Ordinary National Assembly.

A qualified majority of 2/3 during three voting procedures on separate dates is required for a decision to be made. The Grand National Assembly can also serve as an ordinary National Assembly, taking care of regular legislative activities in urgent cases only. After it has concluded its work on the matter for which it was elected, the Grand National Assembly has dissolved ex lege and the President of the Republic shall appoint elections for an ordinary National Assembly.

A total of seven Grand National Assemblies have been in operation in Bulgaria, the last one from 10 July 1990 to 12 July 1991 adopting the current constitution.

Building
Main article: Bulgaria National Assembly Building
View from Tsar Osvoboditel.

The National Assembly's main building has been proclaimed a monument of culture for its historic significance. Situated in downtown Sofia, it was designed in Neo-Renaissance style by Konstantin Jovanović.

Office house of the National Assembly (Former House of the BCP) used as National Assembly building from 2020 to 2021

Due to insufficient space in the main building at Parliament Square, the National Assembly is now housed by the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, located at the Largo - the so-called Party House. Initially, only administrative offices have been relocated, but proposals to convert the into an interior space for the plenary chamber have been made since 1996, with the relocation taking place in 2020.[4][2] After the April 2021 Bulgarian parliamentary election, the National Assembly moved again to the old Parliament House because ITN, Democratic Bulgaria, ISMV, and DPS viewed the Party House building as a symbol of Bulgaria's communist past.[5]

List of National Assemblies
Parliament Term Seats
Constituent National Assembly10 February 1879 – 16 April 1879231
1st Grand National Assembly17 April 1879 – 26 June 1879231
1st Ordinary National Assembly21 October 1879 – 24 November 1879158
2nd Ordinary National Assembly23 March 1880 – 18 December 1880172
2nd Grand National Assembly7 January 1881307
3rd Ordinary National Assembly10 December 1882 – 25 December 188347
4th Ordinary National Assembly27 June 1884 – 6 September 1886195/286
3rd Grand National Assembly19 October 1886 – 3 August 1887493
5th Ordinary National Assembly15 October 1887 – 17 December 1889285
6th Ordinary National Assembly15 October 1890 – 15 December 1892276
4th Grand National Assembly3 May 1893 – 17 May 1893577
7th Ordinary National Assembly15 October 1893 – 21 December 1893145
8th Ordinary National Assembly15 October 1894 – 4 February 1896149
9th Ordinary National Assembly1 December 1896 – 19 December 1898159
10th Ordinary National Assembly16 May 1899 – 29 November 1900169
11th Ordinary National Assembly22 February 1901 – 23 December 1901166
12th Ordinary National Assembly22 April 1902 – 31 March 1903188
13th Ordinary National Assembly2 November 1903 – 22 December 1907189
14th Ordinary National Assembly15 June 1908 – 15 February 1911203
5th Grand National Assembly9 June 1911 – 9 July 1911414
15th Ordinary National Assembly15 October 1911 – 23 July 1913213
16th Ordinary National Assembly19 December 1913 – 31 December 1913204
17th Ordinary National Assembly20 March 1914 – 15 April 1919257
18th Ordinary National Assembly2 October 1919 – 20 February 1920237
19th Ordinary National Assembly15 April 1920 – 11 March 1923232
20th Ordinary National Assembly21 May 1923 – 11 June 1923245
21st Ordinary National Assembly9 December 1923 – 15 April 1927267
22nd Ordinary National Assembly19 June 1927 – 18 April 1931275
23rd Ordinary National Assembly20 August 1931 – 19 May 1934283
24th Ordinary National Assembly22 May 1938 – 27 April 1939160
25th Ordinary National Assembly24 February 1940 – 23 August 1944160
26th Ordinary National Assembly15 December 1945 – 28 September 1946276
6th Grand National Assembly7 November 1946 – 21 October 1949465(375)
1st National Assembly17 January 1950 – 2 November 1953239
2nd National Assembly14 January 1954 – 11 December 1957249
3rd National Assembly13 January 1958 – 4 November 1961254
4th National Assembly15 March 1962 – 8 December 1965321
5th National Assembly11 March 1966 – 18 May 1971416
6th National Assembly7 July 1971 – 9 March 1976400
7th National Assembly15 June 1976 – 7 April 1981400
8th National Assembly16 June 1981 – 21 March 1986400
9th National Assembly17 June 1986 – 3 April 1990400
7th Grand National Assembly10 July 1990 – 2 October 1991400
36th National Assembly4 November 1991 – 17 October 1994240
37th National Assembly12 January 1995 – 13 February 1997240
38th National Assembly7 May 1997 – 19 April 2001240
39th National Assembly5 July 2001 – 17 June 2005240
40th National Assembly11 July 2005 – 25 June 2009240
41st National Assembly14 July 2009 – 13 March 2013240
42nd National Assembly21 May 2013 – 6 August 2014240
43rd National Assembly27 October 2014 – 27 January 2017240
44th National Assembly19 April 2017 – 26 March 2021240
45th National Assembly15 April 2021 – 12 May 2021240
46th National Assembly21 July 2021 – 16 September 2021240
47th National Assembly3 December 2021 – 2 August 2022240
48th National Assembly19 October 2022 – 3 February 2023240
49th National Assembly12 April 2023 –240

See also

Notes
    1. Inaugural Session, 42nd National Assembly, 21 May 2013, parliament.bg. Retrieved Oct 2013
    2. "Bulgarian Parliament in a New Building - the Renovated Former Party House". novinite.com. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
    3. Raykov Cabinet (88th Government) sitting in Parliament Archived 9 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine (article ), 22 May 2013 Retrieved Oct 2013.
    4. Competition for new Plenary Hall Archived 17 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, NI Consult, 2009. Retrieved Oct 2013.
    5. "Парламентът се връща в старата си сграда. Поне за първото заседание". Клуб Z. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
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