Ombudsman elected in Turkmenistan for the first time
ASHGABAT. March 21 (Interfax) - Turkmenistan's Mejlis (parliament) elected Yazdursun Gurbannazarova as ombudsman on Monday, the state news agency of the country reported.
Three candidacies were nominated for the consideration of parliamentarians, of which people's deputies elected an ombudsman in a secret ballot.
In early March, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow submitted the applications of candidates for the position of ombudsman to parliament.
On January 1, 2017, the law on the ombudsman in Turkmenistan endorsed by the country's Mejlis in November 2016 took effect. It defines the rights, duties, powers, basic areas and guarantees of the ombudsman's activity.
The position of ombudsman was established to ensure the guarantees of state protection of the rights and freedoms of a human and a citizen, their honoring and respect by state bodies of power, local self-government bodies and officials.
Under the law, a Turkmen citizen who is no younger than 40 years, with human rights experience and high moral qualities can be elected ombudsman. He must have a higher education, speak the state (Turkmen) language and must have constantly lived and worked in Turkmenistan over the previous ten years.
The ombudsman is elected for five years. The same person cannot be elected to this position for more than two consecutive terms.
The ombudsman must promote the development of international cooperation in the human rights area, explore and introduce international standards and implement Turkmenistan's international obligations in protection of human rights and freedoms.
The ombudsman will deliver a report about his activity and the human rights situation in the country to the Turkmen president every year. The report must be covered in the media.
At his presidential inauguration ceremony, which was held on February 17, 2017, Berdimuhamedow cited the bolstering of social and legal protection of people, legal support to citizens as one of the primary tasks for the seven coming years of his presidential term.
