Ombudsperson selection underway

More credibility for the office of public ombudsman, various plans, the Holocaust and human rights were among the topics presented by the three candidates for the post of public ombudsman; Mária Patakyová, Janka Šípošová and Anton Čulen. Their credentials were submitted to the parliamentary human rights committee on Monday, with the decision being made by Parliament this afternoon (08-02). Coalition candidate Patakyová wants to keep tabs on executive power, point to shortcomings and defend the rights of senior citizens. Opposition nominee Šípošová would like to focus on addressing the issues of extremism and the spreading of hatred. Anton Čulen, nominated by the far-right Kotleba-People's Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS) and by Independent MP Peter Marček, views himself as a good candidate partly because he wasn't afraid to stand up against communism. Meanwhile, he's currently backing various petitions, including one aimed at seeing shops closed on Sundays. This also makes me a good candidate, he said. Incumbent Ombudswoman Jana Dubovcová, whose five-year term expires on March 28, has already announced that she doesn't want to run again.