A meeting of investigators to elect members of the new Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) from the professional quota did not start on time. Too few delegates came, so the opening was put off by an hour.
The meeting needed 228 delegates, but only 162 were in the hall at the first count. The law allows a session to begin without a quorum after a one-hour break, so it opened with 175 of the 453 investigators chosen as delegates in Bulgaria registered.
Today the delegates will choose a chair for the meeting and members of the election commission, set the polling stations and hear the candidates from the investigators' quota. Two people are running for one seat on the SJC's Prosecutors' College.
Voting is on Saturday, 21 November, under the timetable approved by the SJC. The magistrates will then decide which of the nominated investigators join the new council.
Asked why there are only two candidates, acting head of the National Investigation Service Marian Marinov told reporters: "People have decided whether to run." He added: "Unfortunately, we have only one representative of the investigators in the SJC's Prosecutors' College."
The SJC is chosen by quotas: for parliament, judges, prosecutors and investigators.