What is the Ombudsman?

The Ombudsman is an institution introduced in 1809 by the Swedish Parliament with an aim to controlling the executive authorities. The term “ombudsman” in Swedish language denotes a person who “has an ear for the voice of the people”. The task of the first Ombudsman was to prevent the King and Government from ignoring the laws. The first Ombudsman relied on their authority to request from administrative authorities to provide reports on the law enforcement, as well as the authority to institute certain proceedings aimed at establishing the responsibility of administrative public servants.

The Provincial Protector of Citizens – Ombudsman is an autonomous and independent authority of the AP Vojvodina in charge of protecting the rights of citizens and monitoring the work of provincial administrative authorities, public enterprises and institutions with administrative and public powers, founded by the AP Vojvodina, concerning their acting in implementation of decisions and other legal acts of the AP Vojvodina.

Contact us

You may contact the Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman in person, by phone, through an on-line form, regular mail or e-mail. A complaint is filled to the Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman, which is the basis for opening one’s dossier, under a particular number. The dossier is used as the basis for further proceedings, i.e. for conducting an inquiry.

Who we are

The Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman is elected by the Assembly of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, by a two-third majority vote out of the total number of deputies, whereas the Ombudsman deputies are elected by a simple majority vote out of the total number of deputies, upon the Ombudsman’s proposal. Candidates for the Ombudsman may be proposed by at least 30 deputies or the Assembly Committee responsible for issues related to organisation and work of the administration. The Ombudsman's term of office is six years. He/she may be elected to the same office twice in succession, at the most.

The Provincial Ombudsman has four deputies, three of whom are specialised and elected for the field national minority rights, rights of the child and gender equality, whereas one deputy is responsible for the field of general competences. At least one of the deputies is elected from among the less represented gender and people belonging to national minorities. The Ombudsman deputy’s term of office is six years. He/she may be elected to the same office twice in succession, at the most.

Where we are

The Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman is based in Novi Sad, with the head office located at 25 Mihajla Pupina Blvd. The offices are located in the left wing on the ground floor of the building belonging to the public water management enterprise “Vode Vojvodine”, or commonly known as the “DTD” building. Visits are not scheduled in advance and citizens are allowed to visit us at any time during our working hours.