Reacting to the National Assembly’s approval of amendments to the Judiciary Act, President Rosen Plevneliev said today that a new Supreme Judicial Council should elect the next Prosecutor-General. The current membership of the SJC does not enjoy sufficient public confidence and it is not right that it should elect the new Prosecutor-General, the President told reporters. The President will next week meet his Legal Council, which will consider the amendments approved and issue an opinion on them.

The President reiterated his position that it is essential to have maximum openness and transparency regarding the nominations – who the candidates are, what matters they have considered and what decisions they took.

As adopted, the Judiciary Act allows the current SJC to elect a new Prosecutor-General. It is not certain whether and how this option will be used, the President said. He said the new Prosecutor-General should enjoy a high level of public confidence and this could be achieved only when selected by a Supreme Judicial Council that had been transparently and honestly constituted. “The law provides for a public debate, continuing for an appropriate length o time, and I deeply believe and hope that henceforth those responsible will do just that,” the President said.

In response to a journalist’s question, President Plevneliev denied that the Vice President would be standing to become Prosecutor-General. “The Vice President is doing very well in office, enjoys a high degree of trust, is useful to society and will not stand for Prosecutor-General,” the President underlined.

The Head of State today opened a youth business forum in which 70 teams of future entrepreneurs took part. The event is part of a year-round “training company” by Junior Achievement-Bulgaria for students, which operates in 15 universities and 200 schools.