On the day I was elected Speaker of the National Assembly, I promised to be first among equals. For those who voted for me and for those who did not vote for me, she said. She stated that she is trying to adhere to this principle in order to preserve Bulgarian parliamentarism.
"Over the past few days, I have listened to the opinions of my legal colleagues and decided to make a statement regarding the unprecedented situation with the MECH parliamentary group. For nearly 10 days, Radostin Vassilev has made no effort to preserve his group. The leader of MECH grossly violated Article 32 of the Constitution by recording me".
The Speaker of Parliament Natalia Kiselova gave a statement in the National Assembly.
She presented a chronology of events for the period March 13-21, which, in her words, "clearly show that the leadership had the comfort to preserve their group".
Kiselova indicated that the MECH parliamentary group could be restored by changing the rules or by a decision of the plenary hall.
The first is to have a deliberate decision of the parliament, and the second - a change to the rules of the National Assembly itself. However, both outcomes are in the hands of the deputies and the plenary hall, she emphasized.
"I expect the announced deputies to come tomorrow to take the oath," said Kiselova.
Before that, Kiselova presented the entire chronology of the case.
Now is the time for building, concluded Natalia Kiselova.
Last week, Assoc. Prof. Kiselova announced that the MECH group was ceasing to exist, as it was left with less than 10 deputies - the minimum number for parliamentary representation. This caused a sharp reaction from the leader Radostin Vassilev, who stated that he would take retaliatory action against the decision.
The MECH party is organizing a protest scheduled for Wednesday at 7:00 a.m. before the National Assembly, in support of her position and with an insistence that the group be restored.
In her official position, Natalia Kiselova stated that she had repeatedly warned Vassilev about the legal consequences of the removal of deputies from the group. The BSP and GERB expressed support for her actions, but criticism was also heard from representatives of the ruling majority, which increased political tension around the case.