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The newly elected Paliamentary Ombudsman, Jari Råman, taken by the Finnish Parliament´s photographer Hanne Salonen
The Parliament has elected Doctor of Laws Jari Råman as the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Råman currently serves as the Secretary General of the Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
The election was conducted by a secret ballot voting. Råman received more than half of the votes cast, a total of 101 votes. The Ombudsman’s four-year term of office will begin on 1 January 2026. The terms of the Ombudsman and the two Deputy Ombudsmen do not follow the parliamentary electoral cycle. Before the election, the Constitutional Law Committee assessed the candidates who had applied for the position.
The current Ombudsman, Petri Jääskeläinen, will conclude his term at the end of the year. He has announced that he will not seek a new term. Jääskeläinen has served as Ombudsman since 2010.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman, together with the Chancellor of Justice of the Government, is Finland’s highest authority for overseeing legality. The Ombudsman supervises the legality of official actions primarily by investigating complaints submitted to him. He may also intervene in shortcomings on his own initiative.
In his work, the Ombudsman focuses on promoting fundamental and human rights. The duties of the Ombudsman are defined in the Constitution and in the Act on the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
Source: The Office of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Finland
