Greek challenger aims to replace Söderman

Date: 26/09/02

By Martin Banks

THE national ombudsman in Greece has emerged as a front-runner to succeed Jacob Söderman as European Ombudsman.

Nikiforos Diamandouros, 60, could go head-to-head for the job with his compatriot, the former MEP Georgios Anastassopoulos.

UK Conservative member Roy Perry, a former university lecturer and an MEP since 1994, is a confirmed candidate while other possible contenders are Xabier Markiegi Candina, a former ombudsman in the Basque country, and Herman Wuyts, federal ombudsman in Belguim.

The deadline for applications is 3 October and candidates were in Strasbourg for this week's Parliamentary plenary lobbying for the minimum 32 MEPs' signatures needed to support their applications.

Diamandouros, who became his country's first-ever ombudsman four years ago, said: 'I helped set up the office of ombudsman in Greece and think I could transfer the experience I've gleaned from the job to the European post.'

He has taught political science at Athens University since 1998. Prior to that, he was director of programmes for Western Europe and the Middle East at the Social Science Research Council in New York for five years.

Married with two sons in their 20s, Diamandouros has been closely involved in minority issues in Greece and has been a political scientist for 30 years.

Anastassopoulos is a former vice-president of the European Parliament and stood against Söderman in the last election, narrowly losing out by 269-256 votes.

Following next week's deadline for applications, candidates will appear before public hearings, organised by the petitions committee, on 28 November and 3 and 5 December.

Söderman's successor will then be selected by Parliament's 626 MEPs in a secret ballot at the Strasbourg plenary on 16 December.

The Finn, who is based in Strasbourg, is retiring next April, a month after his 65th birthday.

He was due to stay in office until October 2004 but opted to leave early.

The national ombudsman in Greece, Nikiforos Diamandouros, has emerged as a front-runner to succeed Jacob Söderman as European Ombudsman.