New Parliament Elects Committee Chairs

The new Parliament elected at its inaugural session on November 18 chairpersons of 15 committees and all of them are lawmakers from Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia.

The newly elected chairpersons of parliamentary committees are:

• Committee for Legal Issues – Eka Beselia, who led the Committee for Human Rights and Civil Integration in the outgoing Parliament;
• Committee for Defense and Security – Irakli Sesiashvili of GDDG, who will retain this post;
• Committee for Foreign Affairs – Sopo Katsarava, who previously served at the British Embassy to Georgia;
• Committee for Human Rights and Civil Integration – Sopio Kiladze, former deputy rector of the Interior Ministry’s Police Academy;
• Committee for European Integration – Tamar Khulordava, former deputy minister in charge of the penitentiary system; she served at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia for years;
• Committee for Healthcare and Social Issues – Akaki Zoidze, who was deputy state minister till November 2003 in charge of healthcare issues;
• Committee for Finances and Budgetary Issues – Irakli Kovzanadze, former CEO of state investment fund, Partnership Fund;
• Committee for Sector Economy and Economic Policy – Roman Kakulia, former head of the EU Program Coordination Department at the Office of the State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration;
• Committee for Education, Science and Culture – Mariam Jashi, former deputy healthcare minister; later she led the Solidarity Fund;
• Committee for Agrarian Issues – Otar Danelia, former agriculture minister from July 2014 to September 2016;
• Committee for Environment Protection and Natural Resources – Kakha Kuchava, a corporate lawyer, who joined GDDG in July;
• Committee for Regional Policy and Self-Government – Giorgi Liluashvili, deputy mayor of Tbilisi in 2016; earlier he served as the Chairman of Cartu Bank’s supervisory board;
• Committee for Procedural Issues and Rules – Giorgi Kakhiani, who retains this post;
• Committee for Diaspora Issues – Zviad Kvachantiradze, who led the parliament’s majority group in the previous parliament;
• Committee for Sport and Youth Affairs – Mikheil Kavelashvili, former footballer.

The legislative body also defined the number of representatives of political parties in committees. In particular, in 17-member committees GDDG will have 11 members, UNM – 4 members and Alliance of Patriots – 1 member; in 15-member committees GDDG will have 10 members, UNM – 3 members and Alliance of Patriots – 1 member. Deputy chairpersons will be elected by the members of parliamentary committees.