The beginning of the year for the bar will be marked by the election of a chairman of the Supreme Bar Council (SBC). The head of the Sofia Bar Association (SBA) Stefan Marchev announced that he will run for the position, informs "Lex". The elections will be held at the end of February, when the General Assembly of the country's lawyers will be held, and the candidacies must be officially submitted by January 21.
"I made this decision with difficulty and the reason for it is the positive change that we achieved in the Sofia Bar Association. I believe that we must continue these efforts in the Supreme Bar Council as well - to be active, to be technological," Marchev explained to journalists and promised to announce his team soon. Marchev lives with the current Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Bar Council, Valya Gigova, but she is not eligible for a new term.
He won the elections for Chairman of the Supreme Bar Council in 2020 with record support for him and his team personally. The Supreme Bar Council annulled the election results, but the Supreme Court of Cassation confirmed their legality, and so in March 2021 the new team took the helm of the college.
At the beginning of this year, Zhana Kisyova, who is part of the team around Marchev, was elected Chairman of the Sofia Bar Association. However, due to appeals, she and the new council have not been able to take office to this day.
The Supreme Bar Council consists of 15 main and 10 reserve members, who are elected for a 4-year term by a general meeting of lawyers from the country. It consists of representatives of the bar associations, with 1 delegate representing 40 lawyers. The General Assembly elects separately a Chairman of the Supreme Bar Council, who is included in the number of its regular members. Two Deputy Chairmen and a Secretary General are elected from among them.
Currently, the Chairman of the Supreme Bar Council is Ivaylo Dermendzhiev, his deputy, in addition to Gigova, is Zlatimir Zhechev, and Krasimir Kraev is Secretary General. Dermendzhiev is entitled to a second term.