A motion requesting the impeachment of President Georgi Purvanov was formally tabled in Parliament, Krassimir Velchev, one of the floor leaders of the ruling party GERB, told reporters on March 26 2010.

The motion was signed by 162 out of 240 MPs. Those in favour were MPs from GERB, The Blue Coalition, ultra-nationalist Ataka party and independent MPs.

The two opposition parties, the Bulgarian Socialist Party and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, have not supported the motion.

The debates on the motion and the grounds for Purvanov's impeachment are expected to be held on March 31 2010 after which Parliament will vote on whether to send the matter to the Constitutional Court, the body that has the final say.

According to the constitution, a motion to start a debate in Parliament on impeaching the President needs to be supported by a minimum of 60 out of 240 MPs.

To approve the motion and send it to the Constitutional Court, the ruling majority would need 161 votes.

On March 19 2010, the ruling majority agreed to seek Purvanov's impeachment on the basis of article 32, paragraph 2 of Bulgaria's constitution, which says that "no one shall be followed, photographed, filmed, recorded or subjected to any other similar activity without his knowledge or despite his express disapproval, except when such actions are permitted by law".

The reason was Purvanov's decision to post online the transcripts of a March 5 meeting between himself and Finance Minister Simeon Dyankov.

Dyankov said that he had not been informed that the meeting was being recorded which, according to GERB, was a violation of the constitution.

Purvanov's reply was that making transcripts was a standard practice at official meetings, as at the one involving Dyankov, and that the decision to post the transcripts online was entirely up to the respective head of institution - in this case, Purvanov.

At his March 12 news conference, Purvanov said that there could be no compromises as long an impeachment procedure against him was underway.

"After the issue gets reviewed by the Constitutional Court, we can start afresh," Purvanov said.

At a round-table discussion in Parliament on March 17 2010, experts and lawyers agreed that the grounds on which GERB is seeking Purvanov's impeachment would not stand up in the Constitutional Court.