Judges' votes are being counted in the election of six new members of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC). The ballot boxes have closed, the SJC's Judges' Panel said. Results and the names of those elected are expected by 11pm.
Voting also took place today in Burgas, where 120 judges from the city and region voted at polling station No. 2 in the Palace of Justice. The city had one candidate.
How it all started: 120 judges in Burgas and region vote for new Supreme Judicial Council members
Bulgaria had 30 polling stations. In all, 2,275 judges were entitled to vote, choosing from 21 approved candidates.
Opening the ballot box, counting, checking the ballots and drawing up the record all happen on camera. The count is streamed live on the SJC website, in the "Online" section, and on one other website.
The Judges' Panel registered observers from the Forum association, the "Justice for All" association, the Association of Bulgarian Administrative Judges, the Union of Judges in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives, the "Awake People" association and the Union of Bulgarian Lawyers. Representatives of two candidates, Roman Nikolov and Veselka Zlateva-Kozhuharova, are also watching the count.
The chair of the General Assembly of Judges' election commission will decide whether the vote was valid. He will then announce each candidate's result and the names of those elected.
The new SJC is made up of members chosen by parliament, judges, prosecutors and investigators. Prosecutors already have their representatives, after the General Assembly voted in two rounds.
Parliament will elect 11 members, six for the Judges' Panel and five for the Prosecutors' Panel. Hearings for candidates in its quota ended on Thursday, November 5.
Investigators have yet to hear their candidates and choose their representative on the new council.