“Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria“ express our deep indignation at the behavior of the Speaker of the National Assembly Natalia Kiselova, who yesterday appeared in the stands of the National Stadium “Vasil Levski“, wearing a T-shirt with the logo of a gambling company – a limited anniversary edition, personalized with her name on the back.
This is stated in an official position of DSB, sent to the media. Here is more from the position of the formation on the case:
We consider this act to be absolutely unacceptable – both from a legal and moral point of view. First of all, it constitutes a gross violation of the Rules of Procedure for the Organization and Activities of the National Assembly, where in Art. 142, para. 2 it is explicitly stated: “The People's Representative may not give consent or use his official position for advertising activities”. This restriction should apply with even greater force to the Chairman of the highest body of state power in the country. We remind you that the 49th National Assembly unanimously adopted the ban on gambling advertising in the media — a clear and categorical signal against gambling addiction, which has devastating consequences for the lives of thousands of Bulgarian families.
In a moral aspect - the actions of the Speaker of the National Assembly represent an unprecedented blow to the institution's prestige in its history. The public legitimization of one of the most serious addictions in modern society - gambling - from the position of the highest state office is not just a manifestation of irresponsibility, but a deep misunderstanding of the public role and duty with which you are charged.
With her behavior, Natalia Kiselova is destroying the authority of the National Assembly and compromising trust in the institutional order of the country. “Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria” call on her to resign immediately. We also appeal to the other parliamentaryly represented forces to react in defense of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly and their observance.