Ombudsman

The Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria (Bulgarian: Омбудсман на Република България) is the national human rights institution, in addition to the normal range of functions in relation to maladministration. The institution was created as the 'Citizen's Defender' (Граждански защитник) in 1998 but the first Ombudsman was elected in April 2005. Since October 2010 the office has been held by Konstantin Penchev, formerly Chair of Supreme Administrative Court. There are also regional ombudsmen (Citizen's Mediators, Граждански посредници) in most parts of the country.