The election of a new Supreme Judicial Council is being conducted in a transparent and public manner, Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov said on bTV’s “Face to Face.” According to him, for the first time there is such a large number of candidates both from the parliamentary and the professional quotas.
“For the first time, we have such a large number of candidates for members of the Supreme Judicial Council from the parliamentary and professional quotas, and they will be elected in the most transparent and public manner possible, before the entire public,” Naydenov said.
The parliamentary procedure is underway
Twenty-one candidates have been nominated for the 11 seats from the parliamentary quota. Six of the positions are for the Judges’ College, while five are for the Prosecutors’ College.
The hearings of the candidates before Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee began on November 2 and must be completed by November 6. The election in the plenary hall is scheduled to take place by November 19. Each member of the Supreme Judicial Council is elected by a two-thirds majority of the members of Parliament.
The procedure is taking place against the backdrop of the mandate of the council’s current composition, which expired in October 2022. Amendments to the Judicial System Act, which regulate the election of a new Supreme Judicial Council and limit the personnel decisions of a body whose mandate has expired, entered into force in July.
The professional quota is being filled in stages
Prosecutors have already elected their four representatives following a vote on October 24. Of the 1,567 prosecutors entitled to vote, 1,363 took part. Plamen Petkov, Ivaylo Iliev, Ivaylo Angelov and Krasimira Filipova were elected.
Judges must elect six members on November 7. Twenty-one candidates have been admitted for the positions. Investigators will vote for one representative on November 21.
When presenting his priorities, Naydenov said that candidates should be assessed on the basis of their professional qualities, integrity and lack of dependencies. The minister also stressed the importance of magistrates’ free vote.
Once the new composition is constituted, the procedure for electing a prosecutor general can continue. Earlier, Naydenov said that if the Supreme Judicial Council election is completed without appeals, such an election could be expected in the spring of 2027.