Within the next seven days, Vice President Iliana Iotova intends to announce the name of the person who will be the vice-presidential candidate. The head of state's calendar includes the presentation on September 8 of the person who will lead the Initiative Committee tasked with nominating her candidacy for head of state.
Parallel to her political commitments, Iotova addressed the incident involving the detention of a journalist in Strumyani. She expressed her firm position on the matter: "I stand entirely in her defense because I believe that human rights and their guarantee are of the utmost importance. Both as a journalist and as a citizen."
An important part of the Vice President's statements was devoted to the procedure for filling the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) via the parliamentary quota. According to Iotova, the National Assembly owes a debt to society, as it has failed for too long to achieve the necessary vote for its representatives. She noted that the expiry of the SJC's mandate a long time ago is a leading factor in the lack of public trust in the judicial system in Bulgaria.
According to the Vice President, the legislative body is expected to show maturity and reach a consensus to meet the high demands placed on the institution. At the same time, she emphasized that the process requires the nomination of proven professionals with full transparency and the inclusion of all parliamentary groups in the discussions. Iotova added that viable solutions must be found and warned against the risks of non-transparent practices:
- "The process for determining the professional quota must be sufficiently transparent. If we sow doubts again regarding the way the new SJC is selected, if there are rumors and suggestions again that there are other arguments behind the nomination of these candidates, then we have achieved nothing."