Bulgaria’s Parliament votes month-long recess for presidential elections
Bulgaria’s National Assembly voted on October 12 to go into recess for close to a month because of the November presidential elections – overturning an initial proposal to adjourn only from October 26.
Centre-right GERB, the largest party, initially tabled a proposal to go into recess from October 26 to November 4. But a proposal by Volen Siderov’s Ataka party, one of the two smallest parties in Parliament, to begin the recess immediately, won the day instead.
The decision survived a revote demanded by GERB.
Ataka argued that it was best to adjourn Parliament now so that it could not be used as a platform for campaigning ahead of the presidential election vote scheduled for November 6 (a second round will be held on November 13 if, among the 21 presidential candidates) there is no outright winner at the first round).
The decision irked the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party, who said that adjourning immediately would disrupt plans to vote on various money bills and the national Budget at the end of the month.
BSP Zhelyu Boychev, opposing the adjournment, said that the government was trying to avoid having to answer awkward questions about the issues of the day.
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/Politics