The proposed changes to the new rules of procedure and activities of the National Assembly remove the obligation of ministers and other persons to report to parliament, eliminate the possibility for the opposition to gain access to information from state bodies and local authorities, create a monopoly for the Speaker of the National Assembly to determine the agenda in the plenary hall and committees, and take away the possibility for the opposition to include its points on the agenda. This was stated by the MP from "We Continue the Change" Nikolay Denkov at a briefing in parliament, a FOCUS reporter reported.
"Even Boyko Borisov and Delyan Peevski have not tried to limit the rights of the opposition like this", he also said.
According to the MP from the PP PG and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Stoyu Stoev from "Progressive Bulgaria", they themselves do not understand the proposals they are proposing. Denkov refused to comment on the new proposed parameters of the budget until "he sees the specific texts of the project.".
The new rules
"Progressive Bulgaria" proposes changes to the new rules of procedure of the National Assembly. A temporary committee is preparing the rules, and until then the old ones will apply.
On "Opposition Day" (every first Wednesday), when points are scored without committees, no hearings of ministers will be held. It is proposed that temporary committees be created only with the support of 1/5 of the deputies (48 signatures), as only "Progressive Bulgaria" has such a number.
They want to abolish the restriction that ministers can postpone answering an oral question up to two times, as well as the requirement that if they do not answer within 10 days, they must appear in the National Assembly and explain. The time for speeches is also being reduced: from 5 to 3 minutes at second reading and from 3 to 2 minutes for a rejoinder. Replies will only be allowed to deputies from other groups. Bills and reports will be received 24 hours earlier instead of 72, and the obligation of institutions to provide documents to deputies will also be abolished.
According to the submitters, the goal is to improve the work of the parliament, as "they are consistent with problems identified in the work of previous national assemblies and are aimed at their improvement".