Civil society: selecting ombudsman candidates needs improvement

NGOs dealing with human rights are worried at the skills of the candidates to the positions of ombudsman and say the procedure of selecting those does not stimulate the participation of candidates renowned for their achievements in terms of human rights. Yet the NGOs welcome the Parliament's openness toward consulting the civol society, Info-Prim Neo quotes a statement issued by four NGOs. The signatories welcome the openness of the Parliament, of the Legal Committee and the of the Human Rights Committee to consult the civil society in selecting the candidates to the position of ombudsman. Adequate information about candidates, and the civil society being allowed to attend the committees' sittings, lodging memos and notes is a positive practice. The NGOs show concern with the skillfulness of some candidates. During hearings, when asked “Which are 3-5 main problems of the human rights in Moldova?” only several candidates gave an answer, mentioning only 1-2 problems. No candidate referred to annual reports developed by the Human Rights Center (HRC) and presented to the Parliament. When asked “How do you see the cooperation with NGOs dealing with human rights?” one candidate told his experience of a member in several political parties, displaying a weak command of the official language. Most of the pretenders avoided to answer the question “Which is your view to improve the situation in this respect and especially the role of the HRC in this regard?” The NGOs invite the Parliament to subject the candidates to public hearings on its floor. They also recommend setting up a working group with representatives of the civil society to draft recommendations to improve the selection of ombudsmen. The statement is signed by the Human Rights Resources Center (CreDO), Promo-Lex Association, by the Human Rights Institute and the Roma National Center. On September 16, the same NGOs expressed their concern at the lack of transparency of the Parliament in selecting the candidates for positions of ombudsmen.