14 July 2009

Esteemed Mr. President,
Your Beatitude,
Esteemed Mr. Prime Minister,
Ladies and Gentlemen Cabinet Members,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the National Assembly,
Esteemed Mr. Borisov,
Dear Guests,
Esteemed Fellow Citizens,

I am extremely moved by the confidence given to me with my election as Speaker of the 41st National Assembly. I am aware of the responsibility and expectations you entrust to me. I promise to work selflessly in the name of the Bulgarian parliament. Thank you!

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen - Members of Parliament,

I congratulate each of you with his/her election as member of the 41st National Assembly. We the 240 persons, chosen by the will of 4 million Bulgarian citizens, to represent them are here today at this formal first session to mark the beginning of the next National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Today we are to open a new page in the history of the Bulgarian National Assembly, due to the fact that this is the first one to begin its work under the country’s EU membership. No matter who they voted for, all Bulgarians expect from us a better life. The Bulgarian voters want from us to provide for their personal and assets protection, for their employment and higher incomes, for working and clean of corruption institutions. They voted for the European development of Bulgaria, namely for clear rules of work and life.
As a new face in politics I want to share with you that the Bulgarian voters do not accept the semi empty plenary hall. They do not accept voting with someone else's card. They expect our work to have more substance and less procedure.
We need a lot of work and discipline to accomplish all that. We need a broad representation and presence of the civil society, through its NGO’s and professional associations, in the permanent committees of the National Assembly, whenever discussions of legislative acts of their concern take place.
Let efficiency of our work become priority. We are expected to demonstrate less ostentation, more diligence and most of all self discipline. I stand for traditions of parliamentary life and will do my best to follow its principles. At the same time, Bulgarian society expects from us to be innovative in order to go further in our development. We have to find the right balance between the experience, knowledge and routine of those among us who were members of previous parliaments and the energy and innovative spirit of the ones who are here for the first time.
I am convinced that civility, attention to different opinions and consensus at its best will make us able to satisfy the confidence given to every one of us, members of 41st National Assembly.

Thank you, colleagues!