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THE OMBUDSMAN INSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF TÜRKİYE 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

Being one of the newest and most dynamic institutions of Türkiye, the Ombudsman Institution
has received over 60 thousand complaints since its establishment in 2012. Through its
recommendations, amicable settlements, and special reports, the Ombudsman Institution
has resolved the problems of millions of people. We settled many conflicts and remedied
many injustices experienced by millions of our citizens by means of our decisions, which
affect the lives of many people such as the decision solving the problems of young people
who attended the examinations of the Student Selection and Placement Center, decision
for our citizens who encountered problems regarding their pension, decision for children
who asked for playgrounds in their neighborhood, decision for those who had a problem
in prisons. In handling complaints, we not only served as citizens’ lawyers but also brought
the Administration and the citizen together to ensure that they could resolve their disputes
through amicable settlement.

The year 2018 has become a historical year in terms of transition from the Parliamentary
System to the Presidential System in Türkiye. Following the referendum held on 17 April 2017,
the Presidential System was adopted, and the transition process was finalized with the elections
of 24 June 2018. His Excellency Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was elected the first President of
the new Presidential System. In addition, 600 Members of the Parliament were elected as the
first MPs of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye of the new government system.

The new Presidential System assigns significant duties and responsibilities to the Ombudsman
Institution of Türkiye. In the Parliamentary System, the acts of the President and decisions as
well as orders signed ex officio by the President were out of the competence of the Ombudsman
Institution but the relevant provision of the Law has been amended, and therefore the
Ombudsman Institution can now receive complaints regarding the acts of the Office of the
President.

In the new Presidential System based on the principle of separation of powers, one of the
most significant duties of the Parliament is to inspect the executive branch, which is the
Administration. As an Institution affiliated with the Parliament, the Ombudsman Institution
assumes a key role in inspecting the acts and actions as well as the attitudes and behaviors
of the Administration. Through the Ombudsman Institution, the Parliament is entitled to
inspect the Administration, identify the problems and call the responsible parties to account
for. However, as the Ombudsman Institution is not entitled to conduct ex officio examination
and therefore can act only upon receiving a complaint, it is our desire to be vested with the
power of ex officio examination as this power may play a crucial role in quickly resolving
citizens’ problems.

The mission of the Ombudsman Institution is to protect citizens with its effective complaint
handling mechanism against unlawful acts of the Administration and to contribute that
public services are provided in compliance with human rights as well as the principles of

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