The MPs adopted at first reading amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government and Local Administration.

According to them, the open meetings of the municipal council should be broadcast live on the website of the municipality.

The amendments also provide for municipalities to create and maintain a public register of the questions to the mayor by municipal councilors and the answers to them.

The proposals caused concerns in the BSP and MRF - how financially will this decision of the municipalities weigh down.

"Revival" believes that the proposals in the bill are good even though they come from their political opponent. The proposers from PP-DB declared their readiness to withdraw their proposal the decisions of the municipal council, taken in open meetings to be adopted by roll call vote.

"Increasing transparency in Bulgarian municipalities. There is a lot of feudalization and people do not know how the municipal councilors voted. Trust in the National Assembly is low because everything is transparent, the online session is broadcast. If a municipality cannot make an online broadcast, then we need to reconsider whether it should exist as an independent administrative unit. There are still municipal councils in Bulgaria without a voting system," said Yordan Ivanov from PP-DB.

"Nowhere did I hear from the importers to say whether we burden the Bulgarian municipalities financially. We will accept changes that require financial commitments and do not realize where the money will come from. This would cost the state BGN 30 million, but it is not small for all municipalities. We in the GOP will abstain. We are not against transparency, "added Manol Genov from BSP.

"There will be no financial burden on a single session being broadcast live. We are withdrawing proposals to buy a voting system so as not to burden municipalities, "added Yordan Ivanov.

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"In order to support this bill, a few details need to be clarified. We are in favor of transparency in the communities. What is proposed, however, will not contribute to the transparency we all want. The National Association of Municipalities has noted that all this is at stake. We believe that more than 175 municipalities will not be able to finance these online broadcasts. If you withdraw these proposals between the first and second reading, we will support you and will make our proposals to give them deadlines for such investments. There are municipalities where they not only do not have internet, but also a telephone," said Taner Ali of the MRF.

"There has to be transparency, this proposal is good. And regarding the argument that this will cost a lot of money - electronic voting with tablets was introduced in Varna. The amount was about 16-20 000 leva. So this argument falls away, too. We will support this proposal - it comes from our opponents, but good ideas have no color and belonging. It is touching to see unanimity between BSP and DPS, "commented the leader of "Vazrazhdane" Kostadin Kostadinov.

"How many municipalities has "Renaissance" managed? The mayors of DPS are one of the most successful", replied Taner Ali from DPS.

"People are very well informed in municipalities - if you fall in love there, they already know who. You put us in the same pot with DPS, but both BSP and MRF know the situation in the municipalities, "said Manol Genov from BSP.

"The municipalities that are controlled by the MRF are in last place in socio-economic terms. The places we go are places you don't go too. If someone conducts hate speech - it's you DPS - you are opposing parts of the people. You got drunk, and when you go to a place with the shiny cars, people don't like it. Tap on Google's anti-corruption report and see how many city councilors we have. We also have a municipality that we manage, "said Kostadin Kostadinov.

"We will support this bill with the conventions. Admiration for the submitters who will withdraw their proposal for the roll-call vote, "said Mladen Shishkov from GERB-UDF.

"If the state puts money in the budget, yes, it can happen. Out of 265 municipalities, how many can afford it and how many cannot afford it. Is there anyone in the hall who does not know about the connectivity and problems with hospitals in small municipalities?" added Borislav Gutsanov from the BSP.

"I am tired how someone explains that something cannot happen in this country," added Yordan Ivanov from PP-DB.

"For people with phones without buttons - there are free voting applications," Kostadin Kostadinov, Vazrazhdane commented.

"The public office of the mayor cannot be realized now publicity," said Nastimir Ananiev from PP-DB.

Changes in the law

Local government