Vladimir Nikolov, a prosecutor at the Pleven regional prosecutor's office, says he will work with independence, professional integrity and responsibility if prosecutors back him. He made the pledge in his statement of reasons and plan as a candidate for the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).

On hiring and promotions, Nikolov says he will use objective criteria and a clear, open process. He says trust in the judiciary comes from the quality and fairness of everyday decisions, and from the personal responsibility of everyone who takes part in them.

He says he decided to run because he believes the judiciary needs more than lawful use of the SJC's powers under the constitution. It also needs long-term strategic leadership, he says, one that puts the system's development ahead of solving one-off daily issues.

Nikolov does not see staffing decisions, protection of independence, career development, use of resources, digitalisation, contact with the public and dialogue between institutions as separate fields. In his plan, they are parts of one management policy.

Only this approach, he believes, can make the judicial system stable and raise public trust in it.

In every decision, he says, he will rely on the constitution, the law, morality, professional expertise and the long-term interest of the judiciary.

Nikolov promised to be consistent and uncompromising in defending the independence of the judicial system and of magistrates, in keeping staffing decisions predictable, and in developing the people who work in the system.