Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Parliament votes in second reading to allow Bulgarians with dual citizenship to become MPs and ministers

Photo: БТА

MPs adopted amendments to the Constitution in the second of three readings. One of them limits the President's powers in choosing the composition of the caretaker government. The president will now have to appoint a prime minister from a list of people, and after criticism the head of the Supreme Court of Cassation was excluded from the list. The caretaker prime minister will therefore be chosen from among the speaker of the National Assembly, the governor or deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, the president or deputy president of the National Audit Office and the ombudsman or his deputy. If all of the above refuse to take office, the caretaker cabinet will be elected by the National Assembly.
The majority in the National Assembly also approved other important changes to the country's Basic Law, allowing Bulgarian citizens who also hold another citizenship to be elected as ministers and MPs. A requirement of having lived in the country for 18 months will apply to MPs, but not to ministers. 
"Of all the EU countries, Bulgaria is the only one that does not give Bulgarian citizens this right. The time has come," argued Antoaneta Tsoneva of Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB). "They have drilled a huge hole in the national security system," said Atanas Zafirov of the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP). The opposition said that it would file a complaint against the constitutional changes.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria's Constitutional Court declares the election of 16 MPs illegal, Velichie party above 4% threshold

Bulgaria's Constitutional Court has declared the election of 16 MPs in the current Bulgarian Parliament illegal . The decision was published on the institution's website. The Constitutional Court's decision makes it clear that after the..

published on 3/13/25 4:35 PM
Iliyan Cholev, professor in religion in Razgrad

62% of parents are against a mandatory subject "Religion" in schools, shows poll

62% of parents are categorically against the introduction of a mandatory subject "Religion and Orthodox Christianity", and only 10% consider the lack of religious education to be a significant problem. This is shown by a survey by the Parents..

published on 3/13/25 3:16 PM

President Radev: Only the Bulgarian Parliament can decide whether to hold a referendum on the euro

Bulgaria has made a commitment to join the common European currency since the signing of the EU Accession Treaty. This was reminded by President Rumen Radev to students from Plovdiv University "Paisiy Hilendarski". The head of state's words were in..

published on 3/13/25 2:58 PM