Burgas prosecutor Darin Hristov is a candidate for the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) in the seats reserved for prosecutors. At a hearing for candidates, he said his experience in the prosecution service could help the judiciary develop and win more public trust.

Hristov said every SJC decision has effects that last a long time. Taken together, he said, they set hiring and promotion policy, the independence of magistrates and how the system is run, and with them people's trust in justice.

Whoever prosecutors elect directly to the Prosecutors' Chamber stays their representative after the vote, the candidate said. That person must raise magistrates' real problems with the SJC and seek solutions through professional dialogue. Hristov promised to stay in constant contact with prosecutors and court staff.

Magistrates who are paid decently are more independent and less open to pressure from corruption, he said. Pay gaps between the levels of the prosecution service are large, and district and regional prosecutors' offices carry heavy workloads. When salaries are updated, he said, inflation, economic changes and real purchasing power must be tracked, without forgetting the interests of court staff.

The current performance appraisal is often a formality and does not show clearly enough how magistrates differ in professional terms. Hristov said an assessment should take into account the work done and its quality, the legal complexity of the cases and how well prosecutors' acts hold up, as well as a magistrate's professional conduct and real contribution.