There are four Parliamentary Ombudsmen and they are appointed directly by the Riksdag (parliament). They are elected for a four-year period and can be reelected.

One of the ombudsmen has the title of Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman and is responsible for administration, deciding, for instance, which areas of responsibility are to be allocated to the other ombudsmen. However, he or she cannot ’intervene’ in another ombudsman’s inquiry or decision. Each ombudsman has a individual responsibility to the Riksdag for his or her actions.

Each of the four ombudsmen is responsible for a supervisory area comprising a number of public authorities.

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