In late November, a shortlist of three candidates for the post will be compiled, from which the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will elect the new Human Rights Commissioner. The election will take place in late January 2018.
If elected, Klemenčič could not see his current mandate through, as Parliamentary elections in Slovenia are expected to take place in late spring or early summer.
The Commissioner for Human Rights is an impartial non-judicial institution. It is independent from the European Court of Human Rights, and its primary purpose is to promote and protect human rights in the Council of Europe member states. It also seeks to reach out to marginalized groups, e.g. Roma communities, migrants etc.
Even though France, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Germany, and Ireland have already nominated their candidates, Klemenčič stands a fair chance of being elected. When Nils Muižnieks, the incumbent Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner, visited Slovenia in March, he scolded the government for the changes it made to the country's Aliens Act. However, he also praised Slovenia for its willingness to take in a total of 567 refugees under the EU relocation scheme.