Bulgaria's Top Juridical Body to Vote on New Chief Prosecutor

Politics » DOMESTIC | December 20, 2012, Thursday // 08:03
Bulgaria: Bulgaria's Top Juridical Body to Vote on New Chief Prosecutor Three candidates run for the top office of chief prosecutor (from left to right) - Galina Toneva, Borislav Sarafov and Sotir Tsatsarov. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's highest juridical body is voting on Thursday to appoint a new chief prosecutor with a selection process that has been denounced by civic groups.

The Supreme Judicial Council (VSS) will conduct the vote with an electronic system, which raised serious concerns that it won't be anonymous as votes by each Council member can be tracked.

Three candidates run for the top office - Sotir Tsatsarov, head of the Plovdiv District Court, Galina Toneva, Deputy Chief Prosecutor, and Borislav Sarafov, head of the Specialized Appellate Prosecutor's Office.

Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council reviewed on Tuesday the procedure for electing a Chief Prosecutor, the main point of contention being whether the vote should be electronic or via ballots. The council finally opted for electronic vote.

NGOs however have been pressing for a paper ballot, claiming the vote will be marred by political interference and insufficient democratic safeguards.

Elections of administrative court heads by VSS including more than one candidate have so far been held via ballots.

The introduction of the electronic vote was explained with the fact that it was high time for Bulgaria to give way to new technology.

The European Commission has warned Bulgaria it would closely watch the selected candidates and whether the secrecy of the vote is respected.

EU Commission spokesman Mark Gray said on Thursday the EU executive was even preparing a report on the issue that will be circulated to EU member countries in early 2013.

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Tags: Supreme Judicial Council, VSS, Chief Prosecutor, Sotir Tsatsarov, Galina Toneva, Borislav Sarafov, GERB

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