The Commissioner calls for the abolition of community leaders

In the proposal to accelerate the abolition of the institution of parish community leaders and the assignment to other bodies of those services that are still necessary, the Commissioner of Administration submits a report.

The reason for the preparation of the report was the submission of five complaints by citizens who had to turn to community leaders in various municipalities. As mentioned, the relevant legislative framework under which the parish community leaders operate has shown that in addition to being inadequate, it secures an inappropriate and outdated institution that does not serve the public and should already have been abolished.

The parish leaders, in contrast to the community leaders and the community councils of the villages, are not elected but are appointed directly by the Minister of Interior. As mentioned in the report, the appointment seems to take into account only the proposals-suggestions of the parliamentary parties without following the application process by interested parties to appoint or have objective criteria to ensure that the most suitable persons are nominated or appointed after their evaluation, although their duties are related to serving the public.

This framework, the Commissioner said, raises a number of questions and, above all, strengthens the general public's firm belief in opaque procedures and decisions.

The Ministry of Interior has been considering the abolition of the institution since 2010, however no agreement was reached with the Union of Municipalities. The complaints lodged with the commissioner state that some of them do not have offices and offer their services in cafes or at home, there is no price list for how much they have to charge, nor do they issue a receipt to the public.

In one case, a woman went to a parish priest to seal copies of her diplomas and was asked for 20 euros. When she asked why so much, the mayor said that other individuals get € 100. In another case, the mayor refused to certify that the applicant's dying mother owned real estate in the area where she has jurisdiction before her death, with the justification that she should not deal with such serious issues.

Finally, the Commissioner points out that the same tasks as parishioners can be performed by certifying officials.

Source: Liberal