National Assembly (Bulgaria)

National Assembly Народно събрание Narodnо sabranie
45th National Assembly
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Iva Miteva, ITN since 15 April 2021
Deputy Speakers	TBD (as of 9 April 2021)
Structure
Seats	240
Political groups	GERB–SDS (75)   ITN (51)   BSPzB (43)   DPS (30)   DB (27)   ISMV (14)
Elections
Last election	4 April 2021
Next election	No later than 4 June 2025
Meeting place
Website
parliament.bg

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 sybranie) 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

Main article: Bulgaria National Assembly 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)

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.

List of National Assemblies

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

See also

• Politics of Bulgaria
• List of legislatures by country

External links

• Народно събрание на Република България/ National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, official website
• Bulgaria The National Assembly
• Historical photographs of the National Assembly