SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria's president has vetoed the appointment of Ivan Geshev as new chief prosecutor.

President Rumen Radev on Thursday that he would ask the judicial panel that elected Geshev, currently a deputy chief prosecutor, to review its choice.

Last month, the panel voted 20-4 to elect Geshev for a seven-year term. The 49-year-old Geshev was the only candidate for the powerful post, which sparked protests from critics.

Radev said that "nominating a single candidate not only deprives the procedure of competitiveness, but also takes away prestige and legitimacy from the future chief prosecutor."

The judicial panel now can either start a new selection procedure or confirm its initial appointment in a second vote, which the president cannot veto a second time.