BackFinland’s first Parliamentary Ombudsman began his work 100 years ago, on 1 January 1920. The position of Parliamentary Ombudsman was established by the Constitution of 1919, so the institution is almost as old as the independent nation of Finland, and it is the second-oldest parliamentary ombudsman institution in the world.
How has the position transformed from its original basis in the formal judicial oversight of legality to its focus on fundamental rights and guiding the activities of the authorities? What expectations have the Parliament and Members of Parliament placed on the Ombudsman’s work? How has the Parliamentary Ombudsman appeared in the media over the last 100 years?
In a jubilee book published today at the Finnish Parliament Annex, Markus V. Kari, LL.D., Jukka Lindstedt, LL.D., and legal journalist Susanna Reinboth answer these questions and discuss the activities of the Parliamentary Ombudsman in the societal, political and journalistic contexts of each period.
The jubilee book will be published on the Ombudsman’s website at approximately 12:30 pm on 11 February 2020.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman is here to serve everybody. During the jubilee year, the Ombudsman will arrange several public events to coincide with the inspections he performs in various parts of Finland. These events will cover selected themes relevant to the sites under inspection, present the activities of the Parliamentary Ombudsman and involve discussions with people whom the Ombudsman may be able to help. In addition, the Parliamentary Ombudsman will arrange four public events in the spring and another four in the autumn at the Finnish Parliament Annex. Each event will address one of the areas of the Ombudsman’s activities.
Further information on these events will be published(in Finnish and Swedish) on the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s website at www.oikeusasiamies.fi/web/guest/100v. In addition to these events, the jubilee book will be published today, and one copy will be sent to each of the 600 libraries in Finland.
Source: Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland
