It is necessary to ensure a wide, open and transparent selection of candidates for the post of ombudsman. The Regional Office of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for Central Asia says.
All parliamentary factions can nominate up to three candidates, and then the parliament elects an ombudsman by a majority vote. However, the law regulating this process contains little instructions for the parliamentary factions and their affiliated structures on the procedure for determining suitable candidates.
«The way in which the Ombudsman will be elected is likely to be of great importance for the future direction and strength of the institution. Kyrgyzstan should take advantage of this critical moment in order to elect an ombudsman in a broad and transparent process involving all interested parties,» said the head of the UN OHCHR regional office Ryszard Komenda.
In March 2012, the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions recognized the Kyrgyz Ombudsman’s Institute as partially compliant with international standards. Then it was noted that the presence of vacancies for the post of the main human rights activist of the country and his deputy was not widely covered.
