MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to reports, the bill was proposed by Bulgaria's Patriotic Front (PF) and was supported by 108 members of parliament while eight lawmakers voted against.
The face-covering ban will be applicable to all official institutions that provide administrative, educational or social services, and also to places for public recreation, sport and culture, media outlets reported.
Members of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which is second largest opposition party in parliament, criticized the bill, saying that it did not resolve any of the considerable problems facing society, Sofia News Agency reported.
Similar bans on covering ones face in public places are already in effect in some European countries, including the Netherlands and France.