The deputies voted with „yes“ the removal of Nikola Minchev from the post of Speaker of the National Assembly.
The request, submitted by „There is such a people“ / ITN / on Wednesday, was supported by 125 MPs, with 113 against and one abstention. According to the rules, the position is now taken over by Miroslav Ivanov until the election of a new Speaker of Parliament.
The debates on the topic of Minchev’s removal caused sharp clashes in the plenary hall. Representatives of the various parliamentary representatives exchanged attacks and accusations.
Immediately before the vote, Minchev made a speech from the rostrum:
“It was, and will continue to be, an honor for me to enter the National Assembly, the temple of Bulgarian statehood. It is an even greater honor that on December 3 you made me first among equals. I deliberately run away from the words „to take the lead“ because I believe that if the president thinks he is in the lead or that if the so-called „parliamentary boss“ is perceived as such, he is not for that position.”
Nikola Minchev will remain an MP. He announced this to journalists after his resignation was voted in the plenary hall. According to him, the newly formed majority will only elect a new chairman:
“I will just vote. Let’s see who the candidate will be.”
Asked if this was a rehearsal for the resignation of the government next week, he replied that GERB, MRF, Vazrazhdane and the rest of „There is such a people“ have already stated that they will support the vote of no confidence and specified:
“If everything follows this logic, the vote should go the same way it did, and this should be a rehearsal for then and a demonstration that there is already such a coalition.”
“The speaker of parliament always falls victim when the ruling majority becomes a minority”, he added.
