The Ombudsman, Soledad Becerril, has explained today that she will be completing five years heading the Ombudsman Institution on July 21st next and will be leaving office in accordance with the organic act governing this Institution.
The First Deputy Ombudsman, Francisco Fernández Marugán, will be taking over to serve as acting Ombudsman as of that date until Spanish Parliament elects the new Ombudsman, she stated.
“I’ve not had nor do I currently have any intention of being a candidate for a further term of office. I believe five years is long enough to carry out one’s work. My time as the Ombudsman ends here”, she said. For Soledad Becerril, “It has been a great honour to have endeavoured to fulfil the mandate set out under the Constitution: of defending the constitutional rights and freedoms; in addition to serving as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and as a Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (NPM)”.
The Ombudsman has expressed her appreciation “quite especially” to the Vice President of the Government, to the “PP” People’s Party parliamentary group and to the Socialist parliamentary group who recommended her five years ago as a candidate for Ombudsman, and for having exercised her functions “completely independently, conditioned solely by my own capabilities”.
She has also expressed her appreciation to the members of the Joint Commission for Relations with the Ombudsman Institution for the interest with which they have taken in keeping abreast of all of the Institution’s work and functions over the course of the 32 appearances before Parliament: 12 appearances in Congress and Senate plenary sessions and 20 appearances in Joint Commission.
“I appreciate their suggestions, comments, their favourable analyses and also those in discrepancy with my actions”, she said.
Soledad Becerril further detailed that, over the course of her time in office, she has presented 5 annual reports, 4 semester reports, 22 monographic reports and 5 reports as an NPM. She emphasized that fact that, at the end of the month, she will be presenting the statement for this semester as well as a summary of these past five years.
“The work done over the course of these past five years has been made possible thanks to the people who work at the Institution, highly competent personnel deeply devoted to their duties”, the Ombudsman stated.
Thus, she has stressed the “dedication and commitment of Deputies Francisco Fernández Marugán and Concepció Ferrer, who have carried out their duties “with a true commitment to public service”, and the work done “by all of the technical personnel, administrative personnel and personnel from different services”.
“I would like to reiterate my thanks to each and every one”, she ended.
