With 128 votes in favour, 56 against and six abstentions, the National Assembly elected Maria Filipova, the chair of the Consumer Protection Commission, as deputy ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria. She received support from MPs belonging to GERB-SDS, DPS-New Beginning, the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), There Is Such a People (ITN) and four non-aligned MPs. The We Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (PP–DB) party, the MECH party, and the Velichie party voted against the appointment. The Alliance for Rights and Freedoms MPs loyal to Dogan were divided, with six voting against and six abstaining. The Vazrazhdane party did not participate in the vote, reported BNR's Maria Fileva.

The deputy ombudsman is one of the people from whom the president can select a prime minister for a caretaker government in the event of early elections. The main criticism of the opposition against Filipova's selection is the suspicion that this is precisely the purpose of her nomination.

'The obvious question arises as to why a person with a logical career progression and 15 years of experience would suddenly make this desperate move — leaving a commission of which she is the head and which has enormous powers, to go into obscurity as deputy ombudsman. The only logical answer is that she has been included in the 'house book' (the list of possible candidates for caretaker prime minister)," commented Manol Peikov from the PP-DB.