Socialist long-standing front bench MP Maya Manolova will serve as deputy speaker in Bulgaria's new parliament. Photos by Sofia Photo Agency
Bulgaria’s parliament has approved the Socialists' candidate for deputy parliament speaker - long-standing front bench MP Maya Manolova.
The MPs also voted for the candidacy of the ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms vice-chair Hristo Biserov for deputy speaker of the parliament.
Both candidates received 115 votes each.
Earlier in the day Socialist member of parliament and former Bulgarian Minister of Interior Mihail Mikov was elected speaker of the new Bulgarian Parliament with the votes of his party and the ethnic Turkish MPs.
Mikov was Interior Minister for part (2008-9) of the term in office of Socialist leader Sergey Stanishev's tripartite coalition cabinet (2005-9), after prior minister Rumen Petkov resigned.
Mihail Mikov's candidacy was approved with the votes of 118 members of parliament, another 97 voted against.
Former ruling GERB party nominated former speaker Tsetska Tsacheva to re-assume the position, but she failed to get the support of other parliamentary parties.
The liberal ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms backed the Socialists' candidacy, while the nationalists Ataka did not vote.
In fact, the nationalists did not even register for the vote, which pushed the needed quorum down from 121 to 109.
GERB came out first with a result that gave them 97 MPs, but is finding itself strongly isolated from other parties.
The remaining 23 MP seats have gone for nationalist party Ataka.