Parliament Votes Down Supreme Court Nominees

President Giorgi Margvelashvili’s judicial nominations for three vacant seats in the Supreme Court have been voted down by the Parliament as most of the ruling GDDG party MPs refused to support.

The vote, which was delayed for several months as GDDG remained undecided over the nominations, was held on June 10.

Anna Dolidze, who is now deputy defense minister, received 36 votes, 40 short of required minimum 76. Dolidze, who chaired Tbilisi-based rights and legal advocacy group Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA) in 2004-2006, was a professor of law at the University of Western Ontario in Canada before becoming deputy defense minister a year ago.

Tamar Laliashvili, who was a Supreme Court judge in 2001-2006, received 27 votes, and the third nominee, Nona Todua, who has spent most of her career in legal academia, received 22 votes.

According to the law the President has the right to re-nominate same candidates for second time, but if rejected by the parliament again, the President then will have to pick other nominees.

Opposition UNM lawmakers, who were also against of the nominations, were not present at the June 10 session due to their ongoing boycott of the Parliament.

“It is very regrettable that the Georgian President has no allies in the [Parliament] over strengthening the judiciary. Today the Parliament failed to support professionals, who were nominated and by doing so the Parliament is actually paralyzing the Supreme Court,” said chief of president’s administration, Giorgi Abashishvili, who was present in the Parliament chamber during the vote along with the three candidates.

“I cannot understand this decision by the Parliament as it has failed to explain reasons why [lawmakers] said no to these nominations,” one of the candidates Tamar Laliashvili told journalists after the vote.

“The judicial system needs not just reforms, but transformation,” Ana Dolidze said, adding that failure to bring in “fresh blood” in the judiciary will further delay “fundamental changes” required in the system.