The Members of the Bulgarian Parliament decided Wednesday to establish a new committee in charge of religion and parliamentary ethics.

The strange move will end the authority of the leader of the extremist nationalist Ataka party, Volen Siderov, over parliamentary ethics. Siderov was appointed a month ago chairman of the anti-corruption and parliamentary ethics committee.

The MPs voted without any debates to remove religion from the human rights, citizen claims and religion committee and merge parliamentary ethics and religion into a new one.

The move comes on the backdrop of strong negative public reaction against Siderov being in charge of parliamentary ethics and serious concerns over the rule of law in Bulgaria voiced in a European Parliament debate with Council and Commissioner Reding on Tuesday afternoon.

MEP, Ivaylo Kalfin, from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, BSP, says his colleagues are alarmed by the fact the extremist nationalist party Ataka holds the quorum in the Bulgarian Parliament.

Speaking in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, Wednesday, Kalfin stressed Siderov should not lead the anti-corruption and parliamentary ethics committee and his appointment as such was absurd.

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