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

President Rumen Radev vetoes SANS Act

President Rumen Radev has returned for new discussion in the National Assembly the amendments to the State Agency for National Security (SANS) Act, adopted on October 2 this year, which assign the power to appoint or dismiss the chairman of the agency..

published on 10/14/25 6:42 PM

Wednesday will be cloudy with occasional sunny spells and brief showers in the east

On Wednesday, the lowest temperatures will range between 6°C and 11°C, around 7°C in Sofia. Cloud cover will remain significant over most of the country, with rain showers in parts of Eastern Bulgaria and the mountains, more intense in the Rhodope..

published on 10/14/25 6:40 PM

IMF predicts growth of Bulgarian economy

In its new World Economic Outlook report, the IMF has raised its forecasts for Bulgarian economic growth this year and next, compared to its estimates from April. At the same time, IMF expects increase in inflation, as well as a decrease in the..

published on 10/14/25 6:20 PM