Bulgarian Parliament Officially Approved U.S. Aircrafts

The Bulgarian Parliament Officially Approved U.S. Aircraft Deployment at Bezmer Base

The Bulgarian National Assembly approved the deployment of U.S. military tanker aircraft and personnel at Bezmer Air Base, authorizing support for American operations in the Middle East following a formal diplomatic request from Washington.

The resolution passed after nearly three hours of debate, with 135 lawmakers initially voting in favor, 13 against, and two abstaining. After “Revival” leader Kostadin Kostadinov requested a repeat vote, the proposal was approved again, receiving support from 124 deputies from Progressive Bulgaria and 15 from the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS). One Progressive Bulgaria (PB) lawmaker voted against the measure, while two abstained. Twelve deputies from “Revival” opposed the resolution, while GERB, Democratic Bulgaria (DB), and We Continue the Change (PP) did not participate in the final vote.

The adopted resolution authorizes the temporary deployment of up to eight KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft, as many as 250 U.S. military personnel with personal weapons and ammunition, and the necessary airport equipment at Bezmer Air Base from July 24 through October 1, 2026.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov attended the parliamentary session at the request of the opposition. Before the vote, lawmakers also rejected a proposal to broadcast the debate live on national television and radio.

Stoyanov described the decision as difficult but necessary, saying the government had acted to protect Bulgaria‘s national interests while maintaining transparency. He stressed that the deployment would not undermine Bulgaria‘s sovereignty because Parliament retained the authority to approve the number of aircraft, personnel, and the duration of their stay.

“This is one of those decisions that is not easy to make, but it is necessary at this moment,” the defense minister said.

He emphasized that the aircraft are intended exclusively for aerial refueling and logistical support, not combat missions. “No offensive weapons systems of any kind will be deployed on Bulgarian territory. Their temporary presence does not make Bulgaria a party to the military conflict,” Stoyanov said, adding that the government had secured guarantees from its strategic partner to minimize security risks and had taken additional national and allied measures to protect the country.

According to Stoyanov, the American request is based on the bilateral Defense Cooperation Agreement signed in 2006 and made indefinite in 2016. He added that any deviation from the parameters approved by Parliament would require fresh authorization from the Bulgarian authorities.

During the debate, Prime Minister Radev rejected accusations that his government was pursuing contradictory policies. He argued that previous governments had misled the public by describing the earlier deployment of tanker aircraft at Sofia Airport as part of a military exercise.

“The note we received this time was the real note,” Radev said. “The law requires that Parliament approve a request of this nature, and we are not hiding behind anyone. We are proposing the deployment of up to eight aircraft at Bezmer, not 15 aircraft at Sofia Airport.”

Radev also criticized the previous decision to station tanker aircraft at Sofia’s civilian airport alongside commercial passenger traffic. He argued that large military aircraft carrying significant amounts of fuel should never have been based so close to the capital and its busy terminals.

The prime minister referred to remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who had publicly thanked Bulgaria for supporting U.S. operations in the Middle East. According to Radev, Rubio’s comments confirmed that the earlier deployment had not been linked solely to military exercises, as previously claimed.

Radev maintained that Bulgaria‘s broader foreign policy position had not changed. “I have been saying for years that the war in Ukraine has no military solution and that diplomacy and negotiations are the only path forward,” he told lawmakers. He insisted the government opposed expanding conflicts through additional weapons and funding while remaining committed to honoring Bulgaria‘s treaty obligations.

“If we want to be a reliable ally and an honest partner, we must honor the agreements we have signed. The United States is our main security ally. If we fail to meet our obligations, how can we expect them to meet theirs?” Radev said in his closing remarks.

The parliamentary debate exposed divisions across the political spectrum.

Former Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev of GERB criticized the government’s handling of the issue, arguing that Bulgaria should maintain a consistent foreign and defense policy. He accused the ruling majority of hypocrisy and political opportunism but said refusing support to an ally during a crisis would damage Bulgaria‘s credibility.

2024 European Parliament election in Bulgaria

5 seats, 24.26% — The 2024 European Parliament election in Bulgaria will be held on June 9, 2024 as part of the 2024 European Parliament election. This will be the fifth parliamentary election since Bulgaria’s EU accession in 2007, and the first to take place after Brexit. Bulgaria will simultaneously hold a separate parliamentary election on the same day.

Since the pandemic in 2020, it has become customary that elections are held in Bulgaria twice a year regardless of the high cost for the country. It is expected that as in the previous 4-5 years, the second round of Parliamentarian elections will be held in October.

Government Elections in Bulgaria (2005-2022):

2005 Parliamentary Elections
2006 Presidential Elections
2007 Municipal Elections
2009 Parliamentary Elections
2009 European Parliament elections
2011 Presidential Elections
2011 Local Elections
2013 Early parliamentary elections
2014 Early Parliamentary Elections
2015 Municipal Elections
2016 Presidential election
2017 Parliamentary elections
2019 European Parliament election (23-26 May)
2019 Bulgarian local elections
2019 Municipal Elections
2021 April National Parliament election
2021 Second National Parliament election
2021 Third National Parliament and Presidential elections
2022 October elections for 48th National Assembly after the fall of a four-party coalition in June 2022.
2023 Bulgarian parliamentary election

Political row in Bulgaria over European Parliament migration resolution

Bulgaria’s largest parliamentary party GERB and the nationalist Patriotic Front coalition have launched verbal attacks on the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, saying their MEPs backed a European Parliament resolution that effectively encourages illegal migration.

The 93-point resolution on human rights and migration in third countries was adopted by the European Parliament on October 25.

At a news briefing in the National Assembly, GERB MP Galia Zaharieva quoted extracts from the EP resolutio on the need “to avoid creating separate districts for migrants, by promoting inclusion and the opportunity to take up all the social opportunities on offer”; and that the EP “considers that migration is recognised globally as being a powerful tool for sustainable and inclusive development.”

Zaharieva said that the resolution indicated that migration was beneficial. At the same time, she hit out at the opposition parties, including the BSP, for being critical about the Bulgarian government’s handling of migration and she accused the opposition of being alarmist in making false claims about the migration situtation in Bulgaria.

Valeri Simeonov, co-leader of the nationalist Patriotic Front, a minority partner in the coalition government arrangement, said that the BSP and MRF MEPs who had backed the resolution should be withdrawn from their posts and replaced by others further down the lists.

Simeonov said that the EP resolution had been adopted by 339 to 333 votes, meaning that the votes of the Bulgarian MEPs had been crucial to it being approved. He described the resolution as “dangerous and harmful” to Bulgaria because the country was at the forefront “of this new war with migration”.

“We cannot accept as normal that, with furious anger and enthusiasm and the aggressive egomania of a rising folk music singer, the leader of the BSP travels Bulgaria, inspiring fear and terror in people that a refugee camp will be opened in every village, and at the same time, the representatives of the same party stand shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, with the MRF to vote for a decision so harmful and dangerous to Bulgaria,” Simeonov said.

BSP leader Kornelia Ninova said that her party distanced itself from the resolution, which she described as inconsistent with the BSP’s policies. The MEPs would be asked next week to explain to a meeting of the BSP executive bureau why they had supported the resolution, Ninova said.

The row comes just more than a week before Bulgarians go to the polls in the first round of presidential elections, in which nationalists and socialist candidates have sought to make illegal migration and refugees a campaign issue.

After 40 days of protests police removes protesters from Parliament square in Sofia, Bulgaria

Anti-government protests in Bulgaria’s capital have been going on for 40 days, and escalated Tuesday evening as several hundred demonstrators trapped the officials inside Parliament in a bid to oust the left-leaning government.

(Reuters) – Hundreds of protesters built barricades around Bulgaria’s parliament, effectively trapping over 100 lawmakers, ministers, and journalists in the building for more than seven hours on Tuesday following a brief scuffle with police. Protesters pulled out sidewalk tiles and piled garbage bins to cut off roads to Bulgaria’s parliament, shouting “Mafia!” and “Resign!” and “Red Garbage!”, to keep the deputies under blockade until the Socialist-led government steps down. An earlier attempt to get deputies out of the parliament with a bus led to a scuffle with police. It was aborted after protesters threw bottles and other objects at the bus, while others sat in front of it.

Thousands of Bulgarians have been protesting almost daily in Sofia since last month following a government decision to name a powerful media magnate as security chief, which many see as an example of private interests controlling state institutions. The government’s withdrawal of the appointment failed to quell public discontent in the European Union’s poorest country, which also is one of the bloc’s most corrupt. Seven protesters were treated for head injuries, the national radio said. Two police officers were also wounded.

BULGARIA VOTES in the EU Parliament Elections

European Parliament Elections leave Bulgarian Evangelical Churches with no venue of political support.

As an EU member, Bulgaria voted in the EU Parliament Elections on June 6, 2009. After the 100% count, it was announced that GERB (new centrist party led by Sofia’s mayor Boyko Borisov) has won 24.48% of the votes with 627,693 votes. The Socialist Coalition for Bulgaria totaled 476,618 votes or 18.59%, the Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) received 364,254 votes or 14,21%, the Nationalist Ataka got 307,985 or 12,01%, the National Movement for Stability and Progress (NMSP) of former Tsar and former PM, Simeon Saxe-Coburg, secured 205,145 votes or 8%, and the democratic Blue Coalition got 204,784 or 7.99%. Read more