Raporturile Avocatului Poporului cu jurisdic ia constitu ional

The article discusses a very important legal institution within all democratic regimes namely the People’s Advocate – this is the name under which the Ombudsman is known in Romania. This institution has received lately an increased attention in the context of debates regarding alternative dispute resolution (ADR) tools, with a focus on its mediator role between state institutions and citizens. In the first part, the article offers a short presentation of the evolution of this institution both at the international and domestic level, the author insisting upon the comparative dimension. The rest of the sections of the article focus on the rapports of the People’s Advocate with the constitutional jurisdiction in Romania, insisting upon the legislative changes that had taken place in the last years. The author assesses these changes upon the way in which People’s Advocate exercises its competences given to him/her through the law.