site.btaSeventh Protest Rally in Sofia Demands Judicial Reform

Citizens gathered in front of the Palace of Justice in central Sofia to protest and demand the termination of the procedures for election of a new prosecutor general and president of the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC). The event was titled "#Who regroups the prosecutors general" and "Out Peevski from the judiciary", organized by the Justice for All Initiative (JAI). There is an increased police presence in the area.

This is the seventh such event, and organizers said there will be protests every Wednesday until December 18. They also urged attendees to bring lamps, lanterns or candles to "illuminate the dark corridors and windows of parallel power." According to the protesters, the procedures for the election of the prosecutor general and the president of the SAC are illegitimate because they are carried out by a body with an expired mandate.

"We are satisfied with the election of Nataliya Kiselova as National Assembly Chair. She is a professional, a constitutionalist and a supporter of the judiciary, as she can limit the unchecked powers of the prosecution service and get politics out of the judiciary," said JAI leader and lawyer Velislav Velichkov.

He said that to the extent that Kiselova's powers allow her, she will work to fast-track the bill submitted by Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria that would end acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov's election as prosecutor general.

The Prosecutors Chamber of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) approved in end-November the reports from the Committee on Appraisals and Competitions (CAC) and the Committee on Professional Ethics (CPE) regarding acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov, who has been nominated for Prosecutor General. As a result, Sarafov has been granted a hearing that will take place on January 16.

The decision was carried unanimously with eight votes and no debate.

Sarafov has been serving as acting Prosecutor General since June 2023, when the SJC voted his predecessor, Ivan Geshev, out of office.

CAC and CPE within the Prosecutors Chamber of the SJC concluded that Borislav Sarafov meets all the requirements to be elected as prosecutor general.

Sarafov is running unopposed, and his nomination has sparked a series of protests and strong opposition from political parties and the President.