"This morning, the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova committed a suicidal act for us. First, against democracy, second - against the MECH parliamentary group and third - against Bulgarian citizens. What she read from the parliamentary rostrum has no legal value. The MECH parliamentary group has not disbanded and today it would have been replenished with 11 members - as it should be. But Natalia Kiselova did not allow this to happen".
This was stated by the leader of MECH Radostin Vassilev in an extraordinary statement in front of the National Assembly building, quoted by Nova TV. It comes after the Speaker of the Parliament Natalia Kiselova announced that the MECH parliamentary group ceases to exist. The reason - the group now consists of only 9 people, after one of the deputies resigned and there is no one to replace him. The deputies who were members of it become independent and cannot be accepted as members of another parliamentary group, nor form a new one.
As of today, Vassilev himself is being released early from the post of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly. In addition, all members of the previous MECH group are suspending their participation in committees.
Vassilev explained that Kiselova had set Friday as the day for the oath-taking of the two MECH deputies, but did not allow them to take the oath. “This is absolutely illegal, her and sole decision, which was under pressure from the BSP, ITN and GERB. This decision cannot have legal consequences. That is legally nothing”, the leader of MECH is categorical.
And he explained that after the Constitutional Court's decision, with which three MPs of the party leave, but two others enter – the number of PG is 9 people for a short period of time. In this period of one week, in which the two new MPs of MECH have not taken the oath, according to Vassilev, it cannot be used to announce that the PG of MECH is disbanding. “The Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly state that the PG disbands only when it is left by already sworn-in MPs and they become independent. We do not have any who have not taken the oath. The CEC's decision for one is from yesterday and Friday is the first day he can take the oath. And for the other – the decision is from last Friday, and he has not been abroad until today”, Vassilev added.
Shame and disgrace! Natalia Kiselova must resign immediately. I will never allow her to sit on the parliamentary rostrum again. We will file a report against her to the Prosecutor General under Article 282 of the Criminal Code. We declare civil disobedience and strike action from Wednesday", said Vassilev.
He defined what happened as sabotage by "a criminal who is at the head of the Bulgarian parliament, who serves a criminal group of Toshko Yordanov, Boyko Borisov and Kiril Dobrev".
"They cannot buy us from MECH, nor scare us, nor refuse us. Because they cannot break through us, they are trying in the most cowardly way to break up our group", the party leader is categorical. Vassilev added that next week he is inviting parliamentary groups that do not currently support Kiselova to submit a vote of no confidence together.