Bulgaria’s Parliament has been relocated

The new parliamentary season starts as of September 2 in a renovated building, the former Communist Party house. The sittings will take place in the renovated Saint Sofia hall. The repairs cost 18 million BGN so far, but further finishing works are scheduled.

The seating capacity is for 270 MPs. The previous building opposite the monument to Tsar Osvoboditel will be used only for solemn occasions.

The idea to relocate the plenary hall to the former Party House is from 1996.

Nikolay Baciev - state expert: The ventilation here is completely different, the lighting is completely different, the acoustics are also at a very good level.

The seats in the hall are located in 12 amphitheatre rows. There are 270 seats for the MPs. The hall is much brighter because it is located under a glass dome, which costs BGN 1 million. It has a special foil built in, which prevents the abrupt change of light in different locations of the sun.

The seats of the MPs are much wider and much more convenient for work, but in the first months they will vote with the system they used in the old plenary hall.

If necessary, the hall can accommodate more MPs.

Nikolai Batsiev - state expert: It is envisaged that the new plenary hall will have an option for 400 work stations, in the vent a Grand National Assembly is convened. These chairs here, which are 270, will be dismantled and replaced by others during Grand National Assembly.

There are also 26 seats for the government, 13 on each side of the hall. There are also special places for the President, Vice President and Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. There are places for official guests on the side behind glass terraces.

The Speaker and Deputies will sit in a presidium, where there are 7 seats. The beginning and end of each plenary session will be reported by the bell from the old plenary hall.

For the media that cover the work of the Parliament, there are seats in a separate hall.