Althing Ombudsman

The Umboðsmaður Alþingis (Icelandic for, literally, "Ombudsman [of the] Parliament") is an ombudsman appointed by the Alþingi (the Parliament of Iceland) to oversee investigation of complaints against local government and government departments in Iceland.

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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Iceland
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Institutions Executive President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir Cabinet Legislative Alþing (Althing, Parliament) Speaker Umboðsmaður Alþingis (ombudsman) Landsdómur (impeachment court) Judicial Supreme Court
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The post of Umboðsmaður Alþingis was established from January 1 1988 by the decree of law 13/1987. In 1997, by the decree of law 85/1997, its remit was extended to local government. From the start, Gaukur Jörundsson was elected by the Althing as the umboðsmaður. He was reelected twice, the last time with a mandate to December 31, 1999; but resigned from November 1, 1998. Tryggvi Gunnarsson took his place, first elected for the rest of Jörundsson's mandate, and then reelected five times for full periods, the last one ending December 31, 2019. However, he has had to take leave from his office for three shorter periods, when he was engaged in other matters, as in the special investigation commission for the causes of the 2008–2011 Icelandic financial crisis.