National Assembly (Bulgaria)

National Assembly Народно събрание
Type
Type	Unicameral
Leadership
Speaker	Mikhail Mikov, BSP Since May 21, 2013
Structure
Seats	240
Political groups	GERB (97)      BSP (84)      DPS (36)      ATAKA (23)
Elections
Last election	Bulgarian parliamentary election, 2013
Meeting place
National Assembly, Sofia
Website
http://parliament.bg/

The National Assembly (Bulgarian: Народно събрание, Narodno sabranie) is the unicameral parliament and body of the legislative of Bulgaria.

The National Assembly was established in 1879 with the Tarnovo Constitution.

Ordinary National Assembly

Office house of the National Assembly (Former House of the Communist Party of Bulgaria)

The fist National Assembly of Bulgaria in Veliko Tarnovo

Another view from Tsar Osvoboditel.

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The National Assembly consists of 240 members elected for a four-year term elected by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies. Political parties must gather a minimum of 4% of the national vote in order to enter the Assembly. Bulgaria has a multi-party system.

The Assembly is responsible for enactment of laws, approval of the budget, scheduling of presidential elections, selection and dismissal of the Prime Minister and other ministers, declaration of war, concluding peace and deployment of troops outside of Bulgaria, and ratification of international treaties and agreements. It is headed and presided by the Chairperson of the National Assembly of Bulgaria.

The Assembly administers the publication of the State Gazette, Bulgaria's gazette of record.

Grand National Assembly

In addition to the ordinary National Assembly, a Grand National Assembly (Велико народно събрание, Veliko narodno sabranie) may be convened in order for matters of special jurisdiction, such as: 1) Adoption of a new Constitution; 2) Amendment of certain articles of the Constitution, e.g. those related with the basic civil rights; 3) Changes in the territory (gain or loss) of the Rebublic, etc. Before the World War II the Grand National Assembly was also competent in electing the Regency of the Bulgarian Kingdom if the tzar has not come to age. The First and the Third Grand National Assemblies also elected the first two Bulgarian monarchs after the liberation from the Turkish yoke - Prince (Knjaz) Alexander Battenberg and Prince (Knjaz) Ferdinand Saxe Coburg-Gotha.

As an organ, the Grand National Assembly was introduced with the Tarnovo Constitution of 1879, abolished in 1947 and reintroduced with the 1991 constitution. In different constitutional provisions, it was constituted by a different number of representatives. According to the 1991 Constitution, it consists of 400 deputies (as opposed to 240 in the ordinary one). The 1991 Constitution was adopted by the Seventh Grand National Assembly and was composed of 200 members being elected by proportional representation and the other 200 by majoritarian representation. The Constitution provides that the elections for Grand National Assembly shall be conducted in the same manner as those for the Ordinary National Assembly.

A qualified majority of 2/3 during three voting procedures on separate dates is required for a decision to be made. The Grand National Assembly can also serve as an ordinary National Assembly, taking care of regular legislative activities, in urgent cases only. After it has concluded its work on the matter for which it was elected, the Grand National Assembly is dissolved ex lege and the President of the Republic shall appoint elections for an ordinary National Assembly.

A total of seven Grand National Assemblies have been in operation in Bulgaria, the last one from 10 July 1990 to 12 July 1991 adopting the current constitution.

Building

The National Assembly's main building has been proclaimed a monument of culture for its historic significance. Situated in downtown Sofia, it was designed in Neo-Renaissance style by Konstantin Jovanović, a Serbian-Bulgarian architect who received his education in Vienna and Switzerland and whose other works include the Parliament of Serbia building. It was constructed between 1884 and 1886 by Friederich Wilhelm Gustav Liebe, a young builder from Saxony who was only 22 years old when construction began.

The building is depicted on the reverse of the Bulgarian 20 leva banknote, issued in 1999 and 2007.

Due to insufficient space in the main building, some administrative offices of the National Assembly are now housed by the former headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, located at the Largo.

List of National Assemblies

Parliament	Term	Seats
Constituent Assembly	10.02.1879 – 16.04.1879	231
1 Grand National Assembly	17.04.1879 – 26.06.1879	231
1 Ordinary National Assembly	21.10.1879 – 24.11.1879	158
2 Ordinary National Assembly	23.03.1880 – 18.12.1880	172
2 Grand National Assembly	01.07.1881	307
3 Ordinary National Assembly	10.12.1882 – 25.12.1883	47
4 Ordinary National Assembly	27.06.1884 – 06.09.1886	195/286
3 Grand National Assembly	19.10.1886 – 03.08.1887	493
5 Ordinary National Assembly	15.10.1887 – 17.12.1889	285
6 Ordinary National Assembly	15.10.1890 – 15.12.1892	276
4 Grand National Assembly	03.05.1893 – 17.05.1893	577
7 Ordinary National Assembly	15.10.1893 – 21.12.1893	145
8 Ordinary National Assembly	15.10.1894 – 04.02.1896	149
9 Ordinary National Assembly	01.12.1896 – 19.12.1898	159
10 Ordinary National Assembly	16.05.1899 – 29.11.1900	169
11 Ordinary National Assembly	22.02.1901 – 23.12.1901	166
12 Ordinary National Assembly	22.04.1902 – 31.03.1903	188
13 Ordinary National Assembly	02.11.1903 – 22.12.1907	189
14 Ordinary National Assembly	15.06.1908 – 15.02.1911	203
5 Grand National Assembly	09.06.1911 – 09.07.1911	414
15 Ordinary National Assembly	15.10.1911-23.07.1913	213
16 Ordinary National Assembly	19.12.1913 – 31.12.1913	204
17 Ordinary National Assembly	20.03.1914 – 15.04.1919	257
18 Ordinary National Assembly	02.10.1919 – 20.02.1920	237
19 Ordinary National Assembly	15.04.1920 – 11.03.1923	232
20 Ordinary National Assembly	21.05.1923 – 11.06.1923	245
21 Ordinary National Assembly	09.12.1923 – 15.04.1927	267
22 Ordinary National Assembly	19.06.1927 – 18.04.1931	275
23 Ordinary National Assembly	20.08.1931 – 19.05.1934	283
24 Ordinary National Assembly	22.05.1938 – 27.04.1939	160
25 Ordinary National Assembly	24.02.1940 – 23.08.1944	160
26 Ordinary National Assembly	15.12.1945 – 28.09.1946	276
6 Grand National Assembly	07.11.1946 – 21.10.1949	465(375)
1 National Assembly	17.01.1950 – 02.11.1953	239
2 National Assembly	14.01.1954 – 11.12.1957	249
3 National Assembly	13.01.1958 – 04.11.1961	254
4 National Assembly	15.03.1962 – 08.12.1965	321
5 National Assembly	11.03.1966 – 18.05.1971	416
6 National Assembly	07.07.1971 – 09.03.1976	400
7 National Assembly	15.06.1976 – 07.04.1981	400
8 National Assembly	16.06.1981 – 21.03.1986	400
9 National Assembly	17.06.1986 – 03.04.1990	400
7 Grand National Assembly	10.07.1990 – 02.10.1991	400
36 National Assembly	04.11.1991 – 17.10.1994	240
37 National Assembly	12.01.1995 – 13.02.1997	240
38 National Assembly	07.05.1997 – 19.04.2001	240
39 National Assembly	05.07.2001 – 17.06.2005	240
40 National Assembly	11.07.2005 – 25.06.2009	240
41 National Assembly	14.07.2009 – 20.02.2013	240

See also

• Politics of Bulgaria
• List of legislatures by country

External links

• Народно събрание на Република България/ National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Official website
• Bulgaria The National Assembly
• Historical photographs of the National Assembly