The Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman is elected by the Assembly of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, by a two-third majority vote out of the total number of deputies, whereas the Ombudsman deputies are elected by a simple majority vote out of the total number of deputies, upon the Ombudsman’s proposal. Candidates for the Ombudsman may be proposed by at least 30 deputies or the Assembly Committee responsible for issues related to organisation and work of the administration. The Ombudsman's term of office is six years. He/she may be elected to the same office twice in succession, at the most.
The Provincial Ombudsman has four deputies, three of whom are specialised and elected for the field national minority rights, rights of the child and gender equality, whereas one deputy is responsible for the field of general competences. At least one of the deputies is elected from among the less represented gender and people belonging to national minorities. The Ombudsman deputy’s term of office is six years. He/she may be elected to the same office twice in succession, at the most.
Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman
Jovana Đurić
Jovana Đurić was elected for Deputy Provincial Ombudsman on December 16, 2021.
She graduated from the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad.
From 2006, she worked in the District Court in Novi Sad, and after the reform of the judiciary in the High Court in Novi Sad until September 2010. After that, she worked in the company "Agroživ" a.d. Žitište in the period from 2011 to 2014.
From February 2016, she enrolled in the Vojvodina Bar Association and until the election for the Deputy Provincial Ombudsman, she practiced law.
She was born in 1984 in Novi Sad. She is married.
Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman for Gender Equality
Snežana Knežević
Snežana Knežević was elected the Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman for Gender Equality on 16 June 2017.
She graduated from the Faculty of Law in Novi Sad and passed the bar examination in Belgrade.
She became a Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman after leaving the position of the Deputy Attorney of the City of Novi Sad to which she was appointed by the Assembly of the City of Novi Sad in December 2014. She was first appointed the Deputy Public Attorney of the City of Novi Sad by the decision of the Assembly of the City of Novi Sad in 2008.
From 1993 until the election for the Deputy Public Attorney of the City of Novi Sad, she worked for the City Administration of the City of Novi Sad where she was in charge of expert and legal affairs in various secretariats and departments.
Since 1994 she has regularly attended the Kopaonik School of Natural Law, and participated in numerous consultations in the field of various law branches.
She was a lecturer at the ELSA Seminar within the project “HUMAN RIGHTS” “Violence against children” and holds an ELSA diploma for the outstanding contribution to the project with a lecture on “Peer violence - Aleksa’s Law”.
She has completed the basic training for an intermediary - mediator.
She was born in Senta in 1964, and lives in Novi Sad. She is married with three children.
Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman Deputy for the Protection of National Minority Rights
Mihalj Njilaš
Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman
Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman
Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman for the Rights of the Child
Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman for Gender Equality- Deputy Provincial Ombudsman for the Protection of National Minority Rights