Judicial Council elects Ivan Geshev as Chief Prosecutor in a repeat vote

Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council on November 14 voted to approve the election of Ivan Geshev as the next chief prosecutor. The SJC held a repeat vote after last week the President asked the SJC to reconsider its decision about the election of Geshev to the post.

In today’s second vote, SJC approved Geshev’s nomination with the same outcome, by 20 votes to 4.

Ivan Geshev was approved as Bulgaria’s next Chief Prosecutor on October 24. Twenty members of the Supreme Judicial Council voted in favour of his nomination and four against.

The decision of the SJC will be send to the President for approval. It again proposes that the Head of State issues a Decree for Geshev’s appointment to the post.

After the vote, Geshev thanked the SJC members and the professional community for their support, saying he would do everything possible to justify their trust.

He also thanked them for not caving in to the unprecedented political pressure and made a purely professional choice within the boundaries of the law and the Constitution of Bulgaria.

On October 24, SJC approved Ivan Geshev as Bulgaria’s Chief Prosecutor. He was the only candidate for the post.

The nomination was subject to approval by Bulgaria's Head of State, President Rumen Radev. On November 7, he refused to approve the appointment of Ivan Geshev as chief prosecutor and returned the proposal back to the SJC.