site.btaVelislava Delcheva Is Elected New Ombudsman

Parliament voted 123-92, with five abstentions, to elect Velislava Delcheva as Bulgaria's fifth Ombudsman on Friday. She was nominated by GERB-UDF, the largest group with 66 MPs in the 240-seat Parliament.

Delcheva was sworn in and thanked the MPs from the rostrum. The Ombudsman is elected for a five-year term.

"The office of the Ombudsman will be open to every Bulgarian citizen in need of support," Delcheva said. "Taking this oath, I am aware of the immense responsibility I assume, not only before you, but above all before the Bulgarian citizens, because the significance of this institution is enormous," said the new Ombudsman. She noted that the 20th anniversary of the election of the first Ombudsman was marked recently, and the work of the previous four ombudsmen has helped establish the institution as a true defender of citizens' rights and interests. "And that is how it will be," Delcheva stated.

She said her agenda will be set by the citizens, and that protecting them from violations and unlawful infringements on their rights is, and will remain, a key priority of the Ombudsman. "I will not only raise the alarm when rights are violated, but I also hope that together with you, we will find solutions to these problems," Delcheva told the MPs. She said she relies on good cooperation with the National Assembly and constructive dialogue with both central and local government, because every disregarded recommendation means a neglected cry for help, which is not what institutions in a democratic society are meant to do.

"I will be proactive and insistent, but only as much as needed to sound the alarm on all urgent issues and ensure that each new case or system flaw is addressed," said Delcheva. She pledged that work to protect citizens' fundamental rights would comply with all European and international standards. The new Ombudsman firmly stated her belief that "human rights are a supreme value, and their implementation must not, and should not, be a pretence without substance."

There were six candidates for the position: Velislava Delcheva; Anton Stankov, nominated by the Bulgarian School of Politics Dimitry Panitza; Dzhema Grozdanova, nominated by the National Patients' Organization; Dimitar Yotov, nominated by the Bulgarian National Association Active Consumers; Maria Mateva, nominated by the Bulgarian Red Cross; and former ombudsman Maya Manolova, nominated by 23 branch and civil organizations.

The fourth Ombudsman, Diana Kovatcheva, resigned after her election to the European Court of Human Rights in January 2024, and her powers as Ombudsman were terminated on April 10, 2024.

Following the election, BSP–United Left floor leader Dragomir Stoynev said: "For a long time, the opposition criticized us for not electing an ombudsman, which they argued was a way to influence the upcoming election of the Counter-Corruption Commission (CCC). Today, that concern has been addressed. This decision was needed to dispel any doubt, both domestically and in Europe, that the CCC vote could be manipulated."

He emphasized that electing an ombudsman was key to preserving Recovery and Resilience funding. “This is an act of statesmanlike responsibility,” he said.

There Is Such a People deputy floor leader Stanislav Balabanov said that nominations were always discussed within the Joint Governance Council. He added that with today’s election of the ombudsman, they also rescued the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Velislava Delcheva Delcheva graduated in law from Sofia University in 1997 and has more than 20 years of experience in the areas of rule of law, human rights, anti-discrimination, and support for vulnerable groups.

For ten years, Delcheva chaired the Management Board of the Judicial System Development Program NGO, during which time she was awarded an honorary plaque by the Supreme Judicial Council for her significant contribution to improving the performance of Bulgarian courts.

Her professional experience also includes work focused on children's rights. She managed the bilateral Bulgarian-Swiss project under the Ministry of Justice aimed at improving the juvenile justice system in Bulgaria.
 
From 2022 to early 2025, Delcheva served as the Bulgaria Coordinator for the USAID Rule of Law program in Central Europe. She has also held the position of state expert at the Ministry of Justice.

She has worked as an international expert for the Council of Europe and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), focusing on children’s rights and legal aid. She has also served as a legal expert at the Constitutional Court and was part of the Ministry of Justice’s Directorate for Strategic Development and Programs.

Earlier in her career, she spent several years in the Legal Directorate of the Open Society Institute, where she contributed expertise in areas such as effective criminal justice, legal aid, and judicial budgeting.