site.btaDeputy Ombudsman Candidates Emphasize on Rights of Children, People with Disabilities and Elderly

At the hearing before the ombudsman's evaluation committee on Thursday, the candidates for deputy ombudsman emphasized on the rights of children, people with disabilities and the elderly.

Three candidates are competing for the position of deputy ombudsman. Denitsa Dimitrova, nominated by the National Network for Children, whose experience is both in public administration and in the non-governmental sector. Marina Kisyova de Geus, founder and chair of the Ekaterina Karavelova Foundation, member of the National Council on Gender Equality under the Council of Ministers, nominated by the Foundation. And the third candidate, Maria Filipova, the current head of the Consumer Protection Commission, nominated by the Active Consumers Association.  

The public hearing was broadcast in real time on YouTube and on the ombudsman's website.

During the presentation, Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva pointed out that all three candidatures were impressive and that the evaluation committee’s choice would not be easy. According to her, the results of the evaluation by the special committee will be published on Friday. Next Monday, the Ombudsman intends to send the proposal for the candidate with the highest score to the National Assembly.

“My strengths are the integration of people with disabilities and children's rights. I will advocate for better assistive devices for people with disabilities, especially those who use prosthetics,” Denitsa Dimitrova said during her hearing. She added that she would not accept being nominated caretaker prime minister because she is convinced that in order to work well, the ombudsman and deputy ombudsman must be apolitical.

“Bulgaria lacks services for older people, I would support their expansion, and more licensed homes,” the candidate for deputy ombudsman added. “I would back the ombudsman's initiative to inspect boarding schools, places where children in conflict with the law reside,” Dimitrova also said. She believes that these places should be closed, and "more modern measures should be applied to work with these young people".

“My motivation for being here today is my belief that I have a mission to serve the most vulnerable people in society,” Marina Kisyova de Geus said at her hearing. “My proven strength lies in mobilizing people and resources,” she added. Kisyova de Geus said that she would not accept a nomination for caretaker prime minister in a situation of "standard politicking". “If Bulgaria were in a state of emergency, in the midst of a cataclysm, with military action taking place near our border, if the lives of many Bulgarians were at risk, I would take on this responsibility, as I believe every person in public office should,” she said.

According to her, the position of deputy ombudsman is based on three principles: transparency, accessibility, and modernization. Decentralization and support for citizens outside Sofia are also priorities for the candidate for deputy ombudsman. According to Kisyova de Geus, the institution's communication channels need to be modernized, for example, through a stronger presence on social media.

“Through the institution of the ombudsman, we will eliminate all inaccuracies that currently violate people's rights,” the third candidate for deputy ombudsman, Maria Filipova, said. She added that she would work to create a national hotline to the executive branch, which citizens could call in case of violation of their rights. She believes that the greatest clustering of problems is in the sphere of consumer rights.

The candidate believes that there is a need for specialized justice and support for children at risk and children in conflict with the law. There is also a need for better education and healthcare. With regard to the rights of the elderly, she believes that the issue is yet to be raised both before EU institutions and in Bulgaria. 

When asked whether she would accept to be caretaker prime minister, as the Constitution foresees, Filipova replied that if such a situation arose, the President could ask her this question, and she would answer accordingly. “We are all aware that duties must be fulfilled,” she said.

According to the rules, the National Assembly elects the deputy ombudsman upon the proposal of the ombudsman within one month of the election of the national public defender. Velislava Delcheva was elected by Parliament on July 18, 2025. The ombudsman and deputy ombudsman are among the office holders eligible to be appointed as a caretaker prime minister. 

Under the procedural rules adopted by Parliament, nominations for the position of deputy ombudsman must come from non-profit legal entities working in the public interest, whose mission includes the protection of human rights.