Rule 194  : Appointment of the Ombudsman

1.    At the start of each parliamentary term, immediately after his election or in the cases referred to in paragraph 8, the President shall call for nominations for the office of Ombudsman and set a time limit for their submission. A notice calling for nominations shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.

2.    Nominations must have the support of at least forty Members who are nationals of at least two Member States.

Each Member may support only one nomination.

Nominations shall include all the supporting documents needed to show conclusively that the nominee fulfils the conditions required by the Regulations on the Ombudsman.

3.    Nominations shall be forwarded to the committee responsible, which may ask to hear the nominees.

Such hearings shall be open to all Members.

4.    A list of admissible nominations in alphabetical order shall then be submitted to the vote of Parliament.

5.    The vote shall be held by secret ballot on the basis of a majority of the votes cast.

If no candidate is elected after the first two ballots, only the two candidates obtaining the largest number of votes in the second ballot may continue to stand.

In the event of any tie the eldest candidate shall prevail.

6.    Before opening the vote, the President shall ensure that at least half of Parliament's component Members are present.

7.    The person appointed shall immediately be called upon to take an oath before the Court of Justice.

8.    The Ombudsman shall exercise his duties until his successor takes office, except in the case of his death or dismissal.