A bill to abolish Bulgaria's State Security files commission, put out for public consultation, has drawn objections from GERB, Democratic Bulgaria (DB), the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and PP. Vazrazhdane and Progressive Bulgaria back it. Party representatives set out their positions in the corridors of parliament.

On Tuesday, 100 public figures, including journalists, lawyers and historians, asked the government at a news conference at the BTA National Press Club to withdraw the draft. The Council of Ministers proposes closing the commission by the end of the year and handing its work to the State Agency "Archives".

See also: 100 public figures oppose closing files commission

Petar Vitanov of Progressive Bulgaria proposes waiting for the outcome. He says the commission's functions and its archive stay, and only the commissioners go.

GERB leader Boyko Borisov said the commission no longer has a function, because all the agents and former secret service staff are now in parliament as MPs and ministers.

DB is part of a group of public figures who oppose the closure. Ivaylo Mirchev of the party came out firmly against it. Bulgarians must know who was a State Security agent and who was not, and which of them is now linked to those in power, he said. Mirchev claimed that a large share of these people were on the initiative committee of Iliana Yotova.

Stanislav Anastasov of DPS said the closure protects the executioners of the "Revival Process" from justice, and his party will not allow it. DPS will seek help from the democratic community in Bulgaria to stop the closure.

Nikolay Denkov of PP said there is clearly still something to hide in the commission. He pointed to Hungary, which is closing the subject by opening the files. Bulgaria does the opposite, Denkov said: it tries to hide which people from the security services sit in the Council of Ministers, parliament and committees. He called this the wrong way to close the subject.

Tsoncho Ganev of Vazrazhdane said the closure is long overdue and the commission is a heavy burden on the budget. He estimates that about €2.56m (5m leva) a year goes on pay for a few officials and on supplies. Ganev called it absurd for people to get this money to study the files of very old people, most of them dead, and called for the page to be closed.