site.bta76,200-Plus Approached Ombudsman Institution in 2024

More than 76,200 citizens sought help, advice, protection, or support from the National Ombudsman’s office in 2024, according to the institution’s Annual Report that was presented to the National Assembly on Monday. The report, which by law has to be submitted by the end of March, shows that the institution continues to enjoy strong public trust even though the offices of Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman are vacant.

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

Elena Cherneva-Markova resigned as Deputy Ombudsman on March 27, 2024, citing that the position should be held by individuals who are politically neutral and protect the rights and freedoms of all Bulgarian citizens. She argued that holding political office such as Prime Minister was incompatible with her duties as Deputy Ombudsman. Her resignation came in the wake of constitutional amendments adopted in late 2023, which listed the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman among the senior public officials eligible for appointment by the President as caretaker prime minister.

The annual report also states that 34,648 citizens were assisted through the institution’s service desk. Over 12,500 complaints were filed in 2024, and 29,061 people sought support on various issues, including through petitions.

As in previous years, in 2024 the majority of complaints (33.21% of the total) were about violations of consumer rights, concerning the services of power supply companies, water and sewerage utilities, mobile phone operators, district heating companies, banks, etc. The next largest category of complaints (17.60%) was about violations of socio-economic rights, followed by property rights violations (11%). Another significant share of complaints (6.52%) concerned violations of rights by credit and financial institutions, debt collection agencies, and private enforcement agents.