National Assembly (Bulgaria)

National Assembly

Народно събрание

Narodnо sabranie
National Assembly ; Народно събрание; Narodnо sabranie
46th National Assembly
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Iva Miteva, ITN ; since 21 July 2021
Deputy Speakers	, ITN; [bg], GERB–SDS; Kristian Vigenin, BSPzB; Atanas Atanasov, DB; [bg], DPS; Tatyana Doncheva, IBG-NI
Structure
Seats	240
Political groups	ITN (65) show GERB–SDS (63) BSPzB (36) show DB (34) DPS (29) show IBG-NI (13)
Elections
Last election	11 July 2021
Next election	November 2021
Meeting place
Website
	parliament.bg

Coordinates: 42°41′40″N 23°19′58″E / 42.694456°N 23.332893°E / 42.694456; 23.332893

The National Assembly (Bulgarian: Народно събрание, Narodno sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and legislative body of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution.

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.

Layout[]

Old Parliament House[]

Since 2020, The old Parliament House is only used for special occasions, such as the opening and closing of the legislative session or the inauguration of a new President.^[2]

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 sit to the Speaker's left and the political right to his right. Generally, the largest parties choose the left, right or centre wings of the chamber, with smaller blocks accommodating themselves 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[]

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 stenographers' 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]

Grand National Assembly[]

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 in order for matters of special jurisdiction, such as: 1) Adoption of a new Constitution; 2) Amendment of certain 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 is 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[]

Another 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 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. 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 Assembly	10 February 1879 – 16 April 1879	231
1st Grand National Assembly	17 April 1879 – 26 June 1879	231
	21 October 1879 – 24 November 1879	158
	23 March 1880 – 18 December 1880	172
	7 January 1881	307
	10 December 1882 – 25 December 1883	47
	27 June 1884 – 6 September 1886	195/286
	19 October 1886 – 3 August 1887	493
	15 October 1887 – 17 December 1889	285
	15 October 1890 – 15 December 1892	276
	3 May 1893 – 17 May 1893	577
	15 October 1893 – 21 December 1893	145
	15 October 1894 – 4 February 1896	149
	1 December 1896 – 19 December 1898	159
	16 May 1899 – 29 November 1900	169
	22 February 1901 – 23 December 1901	166
	22 April 1902 – 31 March 1903	188
	2 November 1903 – 22 December 1907	189
	15 June 1908 – 15 February 1911	203
	9 June 1911 – 9 July 1911	414
	15 October 1911 – 23 July 1913	213
	19 December 1913 – 31 December 1913	204
	20 March 1914 – 15 April 1919	257
	2 October 1919 – 20 February 1920	237
	15 April 1920 – 11 March 1923	232
	21 May 1923 – 11 June 1923	245
	9 December 1923 – 15 April 1927	267
	19 June 1927 – 18 April 1931	275
	20 August 1931 – 19 May 1934	283
	22 May 1938 – 27 April 1939	160
	24 February 1940 – 23 August 1944	160
	15 December 1945 – 28 September 1946	276
	7 November 1946 – 21 October 1949	465(375)
	17 January 1950 – 2 November 1953	239
	14 January 1954 – 11 December 1957	249
	13 January 1958 – 4 November 1961	254
	15 March 1962 – 8 December 1965	321
	11 March 1966 – 18 May 1971	416
	7 July 1971 – 9 March 1976	400
	15 June 1976 – 7 April 1981	400
	16 June 1981 – 21 March 1986	400
	17 June 1986 – 3 April 1990	400
	10 July 1990 – 2 October 1991	400
	4 November 1991 – 17 October 1994	240
	12 January 1995 – 13 February 1997	240
	7 May 1997 – 19 April 2001	240
	5 July 2001 – 17 June 2005	240
	11 July 2005 – 25 June 2009	240
	14 July 2009 – 13 March 2013	240
	21 May 2013 – 6 August 2014	240
	27 October 2014 – 27 January 2017	240
	19 April 2017 – 26 March 2021	240
	15 April 2021 – 12 May 2021	240
	21 July 2021 – present	240

Notes[]

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

External links[]

[1] Inaugural Session, 42nd National Assembly, 21 May 2013, parliament.bg. Retrieved Oct 2013

[partyhouse-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "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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