Sofia : The 52nd National Assembly will convene at 10am on Thursday 30 April, President Iliana Iotova told reporters. The process of forming a government will begin immediately afterwards. “We will follow the constitutional provisions,” Iotova said, adding that the May public holidays would be taken into account.
She said she was confident the new parliament would be markedly different from its predecessor. “I am convinced that we will see a new, completely different parliament,” she said, adding that she expects bold and swift decisions to be made. Adoption of the 2026 budget will be a top priority, according to the head of state.
Under the constitution, parliament elects its Speaker and Deputy Speakers immediately after the swearing-in ceremony. Once parliamentary groups have been formed, the president holds consultations with them. This is followed by the procedure for granting exploratory mandates to form a government. First, the president grants a mandate to the prime ministerial candidate nominated by the largest parliamentary group — in this case, Progressive Bulgaria.
Following a technical meeting of the newly elected parliamentary groups, political parties have agreed on seating arrangements in the new National Assembly of Bulgaria, BTA reports.
In keeping with parliamentary tradition, all five groups will have seats in the front row. Vazrazhdane will sit on the far left, while We Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria will sit on the far right. Between them, in order from left to right, will be Progressive Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, and GERB.
Earlier in the day, President Iliana Iotova announced that the first sitting of the 52nd National Assembly will take place on Thursday at 10:00. As is customary, the session will be opened by the oldest member of parliament, Rumen Milanov of Progressive Bulgaria. He is a former head of the anti-organised crime directorate and the National Protection Service (NSO).
