Bulgarian-Armenian Raya Nazaryan, a 38-year-old center-right MP, has been elected as the new Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament (National Assembly) on June 20, reports Zartonk Media.
Nazaryan, a seasoned lawyer and MP for the GERB-SDS coalition, received robust support during the parliamentary vote on June 20, with 131 MPs voting in her favor. Despite opposition from 66 MPs and 39 abstentions, her candidacy was strongly backed by her parliamentary group, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), and TISP. Nazaryan’s main opponent, Peter Petrov of the Revival party, garnered 54 votes.
Born on September 16, 1985, in the coastal city of Varna, Nazaryan has over a decade of legal practice in Bulgarian courts. She specializes in commercial, civil, and administrative litigation and is an expert in mediation and out-of-court settlement of legal disputes. A member of the Sofia Bar Association, Nazaryan also co-founded a law firm, underscoring her leadership and expertise in the legal field.
Nazaryan’s political career has been on a rapid ascent since she first entered politics in 2022. On June 9, she was elected to Parliament for the third term, leading the GERB-UDF candidate list in Sofia’s Multimember Constituency No. 24.
Nazaryan now holds one of the most prestigious positions in Bulgarian governance.
