Latest in series of protests in Sofia on eve of election of Geshev as Prosecutor-General
The latest in a series of protests in Bulgaria’s capital Sofia against the election of Ivan Geshev as Prosecutor-General began on the evening of October 23, the eve of the Supreme Judicial Council vote on his nomination.
Geshev, the sole nominee to be Prosecutor-General, needs 17 votes to be elected and reportedly can count on 20. The proceedings of the Supreme Judicial Council on October 24, beginning at 10am, are to be broadcast live on Bulgarian National Television and streamed by the SJC.
For months, numerous regional prosecutor’s office have declared their support for Geshev, currently Deputy Prosecutor-General. But his nomination also has seen continued opposition, including from advocates’ associations and civil society.
The organisers of the October 23 protest, the Justice for All initiative, said that it was entitled “The Light Breaks Through the Darkness”.
Justice for All said that Thursday would be the decisive day, “the day of truth or day of shame, the day that will determine our future as a state for a long time”.
It described Geshev as “only a pawn of the oligarchs who have also elected (current Prosecutor-General Sotir) Tsatsarov”.
The route of the Justice for All protest was from the Palace of Justice through central Sofia to the building of the National Assembly. Previous protests have seen significantly large turnouts.
A further protest is to be held on Thursday at 9.30am outside the SJC headquarters in Sofia.
The SJC vote comes a few days before Bulgaria goes to the polls in mayoral and municipal elections. The Democratic Bulgaria coalition, headed by former justice minister Hristo Ivanov, said that it was wrapping up its campaign on October 24 and called on its supporters to join the day’s protest against Geshev.
