site.btaUPDATED Yes, Bulgaria Calls for Removal of Acting Prosecutor General Sarafov to Have Fair Elections

The Yes, Bulgaria party Thursday called for the dismissal of Borislav Sarafov as acting Prosecutor General and the appointment of a new one, because "the central issue in 2026 is legitimate governance in the judiciary and the conduct of fair elections." Nadejda Iordanova, Co-floor Leader of Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) of which Yes, Bulgaria is a member, told a news conference that with the prosecution service headed by Sarafov, fair elections are impossible.

Bozhidar Bozhanov, Co-chairman of Yes, Bulgaria, said that Sarafov is MRF - New Beginning Delyan Peevski's biggest bludgeon, but he is not the only one. As soon as the National Assembly convenes, Anton Slavchev should be dismissed as head of the Anti-Corruption Commission. "The Anti-Corruption Commission should be shut down, but not in the way [GERB leader Boyko] Borissov and Peevski envision - by moving the people who carry out the dirty work from one office to another," Bozhanov said. According to him, the Commission should be closed down in a way that guarantees that there will be no bludgeons to be used in the election process. Bozhanov declared himself in favor of 100% machine voting with all guarantees that people's votes will be counted. 

Atanas Slavov, MP of CC-DB, said that next week, the parliamentary group will submit a draft parliamentary resolution obliging the Supreme Judicial Council to do its job and publish the findings of the commissions that conducted internal investigations in the judiciary on major criminal cases. He added that the group will also propose the dismissal of SJC members unless Sarafov is removed from office.

"We will also propose a vote on the judiciary bill that we submitted in September, which contains important points such as the depoliticization of the selection of the Supreme Judicial Council members, the introduction of a double majority in the Judge's College, and a broader circle that can request the dismissal of the Prosecutor General," Slavov said. 

Yes, Bulgaria Co-chair Ivaylo Mirchev said: "Borissov and Peevski's security detail must be removed, as has already been approved by a committee in the National Assembly, but we are seeing sabotage by GERB to prevent this from happening in the plenary hall." There should be no privileges, and no MP should receive security from the National Service for Protection, except for the National Assembly Chair, Mirchev argued.