President Radev: Current Supreme Judicial Council is woven by dependencies, cannot meet the high public expectations

President Rumen Radev called on the political forces to a real debate on the future of the country. According to the Head of State, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is woven by dependencies and should not elect a Prosecutor General. Rumen Radev took part in the opening of the annual meeting of local authorities in Albena on October 13.

"Not only the Bulgarian society, but also the political parties themselves will benefit if they put aside the issue of who is worse, at least for a few days," the head of state told journalists.

"And open the big debate that we are all waiting for, namely: how will they make sure that if they come to power, Bulgaria will be safer, stronger, more successful and richer," Rumen Radev said.

The MPs - current and future - should be clearly aware that the timely election of members of important bodies, such as the Supreme Judicial Council, is not a matter of desire, but their constitutional duty, Radev said, adding that the current SJC cannot meet the high public expectations.

"There are high public expectations that the new Prosecutor General will restore the sense of justice. But the current SJC, after all it has done, cannot meet these high public expectations because it has repeatedly demonstrated that it is subject to political conjuncture and is woven by dependencies," Rumen Radev said.

According to him, the procedure itself with one candidate for the post of chief prosecutor is at risk.

“I have always been open to dialogue,” the head of state replied to a question about the statement of the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski that he was ready to talk with the Bulgarian President.

"But it is extremely important to distinguish between dialogue and negotiations," the Bulgarian head of State added.

“The negotiations between Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia ended in July 2022 (when the two countries signed the Bilateral Protocol under the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation). If we talk about dialogue, it should be conducted mainly between North Macedonia and the European Commission," Rumen Radev further said.

He stressed that the dialogue should be based on the adopted negotiating framework for the Republic of North Macedonia for its membership in the European Union.