Bulgaria panel elects top prosecutor despite veto, protests

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Bulgaria’s supreme judicial panel has voted to override a presidential veto of the election of the new chief prosecutor, despite criticism from the public.

The panel voted 20-4 Thursday to elect Ivan Geshev for a seven-year term. The 49-year-old Geshev was the only candidate for the powerful post.

Critics claim that corrupt politicians and oligarchs are behind Geshev’s election, aiming to guarantee they will not be prosecuted in the future. Protesters gathered in front of the panel’s building chanted, “Mafia,” and “Geshev is a disgrace.”

Geshev holds a law degree from a police academy and has been a prosecutor since 2006.

President Rumen Radev vetoed the appointment last week, saying more than one candidate should have been nominated. Now that the panel has confirmed its decision, Radev must accept it.