News

14 August 2025

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva organised today a public hearing of the three nominees for the position of Deputy Ombudsman. In alphabetical order, Denitsa Dimitrova, Marina Kisyova de Geus and Maria Filipova presented their concepts.

In the spirit of publicity and transparency, the hearing was broadcast in real time on YouTube and on the website of the Ombudsman Institution: https://www.youtube.com/live/9oI5AE7bGrA?si=143c6yvUGHtnHqvt

Until 18 August this year (Monday), the committee formed by the order of the Ombudsman to the Advisory Council, composed of Professor Tsvetan Sivkov, Professor Gabriela Belova, Associate Professor Ralitsa Ilkova, Associate Professor Aneta Antonova and Associate Professor Hristo Ormandzhiev, will evaluate each application and the one that receives the highest number of points will be submitted the same day to the Parliament. 

In the course of the procedure opened by Velislava Delcheva, proposals were open to non-profit entities for public benefit. The proposals were submitted in writing to the administration within 7 days from the day of publication of the procedural rules, 30 July 2025, on the official website of the Ombudsman: www.ombudsman.bg

By the deadline of 6 August 2025, three applications were received in the following order: Maria Filipova, a nominee of the Bulgarian National Association of Active Consumers, Marina Kisyova de Geus, a nominee of Ekaterina Karavelova Foundation, and Denitsa Dimitrova, a nominee of the National Network for Children.

From the very beginning, Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva stressed that the Institution, according to the UN Paris Principles, was accredited with the highest status "A", according to which it has the obligation to fully apply the principles of transparency and publicity in the election of the Deputy Ombudsman, which was also provided for in the Ombudsman Act, Article 11, paragraph 1.

"I am pleased that there are three very strong candidates, three ladies, and I hope that there will be a very strong female team in the Ombudsman Institution. I am sure there will be a competition and we will witness an exchange and a struggle of ideas, and I am sure that the choice will not be easy", said at the opening Velislava Delcheva.

She recalled that the entire procedure for Deputy Ombudsman, the rules and the evaluation methodology are published on the website of the Institution: https://www.ombudsman.bg/bg/p/protsedura-za-nominirane-na-zamestnik-ombud-608

In conclusion, she summarised that on the basis of the hearing, the concepts and the answers to the questions posed both by the evaluation committee and the NGOs, i.e. the Bulgarian Centre for Not-for-Profit Law Foundation, the Bulgarian Fund for Women Foundation and the Bulgarian Institute for Legal Initiatives, the candidates will be evaluated according to a special methodology. And the name of the nominee who received the highest score will be published on the Institution's website and submitted to the National Assembly on 18 August (Monday).