The President of the Supreme Court of Cassation Galina Zakharova called on judges to vote en masse in the election of members of the new composition of the Supreme Judicial Council from the professional quota.
“I expect a mass vote in these elections, because this is the only way to change the situation in the system“, Zakharova told the media before the start of the General Assembly of Judges. According to her, the judicial system is in a deep crisis, and change can be declared through voting and the categorical will of the judicial community.
Low attendance at the first check
464 judges out of a total of 2,275 registered during the first check. Because of this, the start of the General Assembly was postponed by one hour.
Zakharova pointed out that general assemblies are usually held with a lower number of judges present and that their representation was not close to the required quorum. According to her, this should not affect voter turnout.
“Regardless of whether the colleagues are present here or not, I deeply believe that they are driven by the same goals or desire for change“, said the Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council.
Warning about the parliamentary quota
When asked what would follow if the National Assembly did not elect representatives from its quota for the Supreme Judicial Council, Zakharova replied that one cannot talk about assumptions and hypotheses in advance. She nevertheless noted that such an option would lead to a deepening of the crisis.
The Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council linked the large number of candidates from the professional quota to the desire for change. She called on judges to evaluate candidates by their actions, not their public messages.
“The number of candidates, in itself, and the activity of judges in the election show that the judicial community has not sunk into apathy and hopelessness“, said Zakharova.
Sources: bta.bg, 24chasa.bg