Skopje, 4 May 2023 (MIA) — The Judicial Council elected Judge Sashko Georgiev as its new chair at an urgent session Thursday afternoon with eight votes in favor and four against.

The session was chaired by vice-chairman Selim Ademi, who ahead of the vote said the Judicial Council chair would be elected if he received a minimum of eight votes in favor.

The previous Judicial Council chair, Vesna Dameva, did not attend the session.

Before the vote, Georgiev said he was proud of being nominated for the post.

"I expect from all of us, together, united, to put in above-average efforts to restore trust, above all, between us and the public. That's why I urge you, all of us together: Only if this nomination is sincere will I accept this challenge. I urge all of you to contribute. If you back me up, I will accept the nomination," Georgiev said.

Council members Mirjana Radevska Stefkova, Zoran Gerasimoski, Ivica Nikolovski and Meri Radevska, without elaborating further, said they voted against his appointment "in principle," because Georgiev had voted for his predecessor's dismissal.

The Judicial Council's 439th session, which had previously been adjourned, was scheduled for Thursday only 15 minutes before its start at 4:30 pm.

Dameva was abruptly dismissed last Wednesday at a public session of the council.

The reason given for Dameva's dismissal was her refusal to put a new item on the agenda and her alleged concealment of US Ambassador Angela Aggeler's letter.

Her dismissal was initiated by vice-chair Ademi, who, after hours of heated arguments, received the support of seven of the 13 council members to dismiss Dameva from the post.

After she was dismissed, Dameva said "the council has turned into anarchy," called the decision illegal and said it had been taken "to please some individuals from politics."

Dameva's dismissal — and the developments that followed in the Judicial Council — caused public outcry, with legal experts also saying it was not legitimate. mr/