site.btaSupreme Judicial Council Expected to Appoint Acting Prosecutor General

The Plenum of Bulgaria's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) is expected to appoint an acting Prosecutor General on Thursday, with the item topping its meeting agenda.

On Wednesday, the SJC Prosecutors Chamber unanimously backed Deputy Prosecutor General Magdalena Lazarova-Prodanova's nomination for the acting post, with nine votes in favour. Earlier, Minister of Justice Nikolay Naydenov had written to the chamber, urging it to give the Plenum a real choice between candidates with clearly stated positions and a vision for the prosecution service over the next six months.

On October 7, 2026, the Prosecutors Chamber decided to offer Lazarova-Prodanova the acting post, with the proposal to go before the Plenum if she agreed. She is currently Deputy Prosecutor General and was offered the position because she is next in seniority.

Naydenov called for a broader field of eligible candidates by October 22, 2026, when the current acting Prosecutor General's term expires. He said seniority should not be the deciding criterion, candidates should present their plans for the acting term at hearings, and the selection should be open and transparent to restore trust in the institution.

Prosecutors Chamber member Ognyan Damyanov said at a meeting that this was the current SJC's sixth procedure to appoint an acting Prosecutor General or an acting president of the Supreme Administrative Court or the Supreme Court of Cassation. Seniority had been the leading criterion in all six, with a single candidate nominated each time. "I consider this the primary criterion," Damyanov said.