A general delegate assembly of Bulgarian judges elected Monday two new members of the Supreme Judicial Council (VSS), Teodora Ninova and Dimitar Fikiin, without any debates on the concepts put forth by the three candidates.

Ninova, a judge at the Supreme Court of Cassation (VKS), received the support of 120 magistrates, Fikiin from the Military Appellate Court was backed by 93 and Marina Mihaylova from the Supreme Administrative Court (VAS), initially the top contender, got 63 votes in favor.

Of a total of 164 votes cast, 22 were invalid.

The new VSS members will occupy the posts for a period of one year because the unit's term in office expires in 2012.

Ninova and Fiikin will step in as replacements for Galina Zaharova and Kapka Kostova, who resigned in protest at the appointment of Vladimira Yaneva as Sofia City Court Chair.

Yaneva, boasting a family friendship with Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov, faced conflict of interest accusations over her involvement in the embezzlement trial against the former executives of the municipal real estate company Sofiyski Imoti, which were eventually dispelled by the Commission for Prevention and Ascertainment of Conflict of Interest in end-August.

Monday's vote by the general delegate assembly lacked representatives from VKS, Sofia Regional Court, Sofia City Court, Sofia Appellate Court and magistrates from Blagoevgrad, which boycotted the appointment of replacements from VSS' judges' quota.

In July, the parliamentary quota of VSS was filled by Kiril Gogev and Nestror Nestorov.

The parliamentary-quota vacancies opened about two years ago, after Stoyko Stoev and Ivan Dimov were removed due to their involvement in the scandal with the notorious judicial system lobbyist, Krasimir Georgiev, also known as Krasio "the Black".

Gogov and Nestorov were nominated by independent MPs who had left the ranks of Bulgaria's conservative Order, Law and Justice (RZS) party.

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