Bulgarian Parliament approves electoral recess and moves to mandate pardon transparency

The Bulgarian National Assembly has approved an electoral recess from October 21 to October 30, 2026. This period, which covers the days leading up to the presidential election on October 25 and the potential runoff on November 1, will see no regular plenary sessions or committee meetings. However, extraordinary sessions may still be convened if urgent matters arise.

Separately, the political movement 'We Continue the Change' has gathered the necessary signatures to convene an extraordinary meeting of the legal commission on October 14, 2026. The meeting aims to discuss amendments to the 'State Gazette' Law, which would mandate the public disclosure of all presidential and vice-presidential pardon decrees issued since July 13, 1991. The proposal seeks to ensure transparency regarding the legal qualifications of crimes and the nature of punishments involved in pardons, while also making the composition of the presidential Pardon Commission public.