VLADIVOSTOK, September 14 - RAPSI, Sergei Feklyunin. The Supreme Commercial Court of Russia plans to survey lower court judges so as to ascertain who among them are the best qualified to act as chief judges, Chairman of the Supreme Commercial Court Anton Ivanov announced on Friday.

"Special software is now in development, as is an administrative order on judge polls, which will select the chairman of the court based on peer reviews," Ivanov told journalists during a break in the Asia-Pacific forum on corporate law.

The court chairman added that the polls would be anonymous and conducted online via the Supreme Commercial Court website.

He said that the judges of the Supreme Commercial Court would not take part in the surveys "because, according to procedure, court appointments are not our responsibility, but the responsibility of the subordinate chairs."

Ivanov also noted the polls could be introduced "very soon", but first the system needs to be properly set up so "judges can be sure that the current chairman has no access to poll results."