Ruling Party Takes Over Parliamentary Posts

The Parliament elected on April 23 Chairmen of the 13 Parliamentary Committees and one Vice-Speaker out of four. All of them, except one Committee Chairman, are representatives of the ruling National Movement-Democrats party. 

The Parliament elected one of the leaders of the ruling party Mikheil Machavariani as Vice-Speaker.

Elene Tevdoradze was elected as a Chairman of the Human Rights Committee; Kote Gabashvili, who previously served as Georgia”s Ambassador in Germany will chair Foreign Affairs Committee; Levan Bezhashvili was elected as a Chairman of Committee for Legal Issues; Levan Berdzenishvili, a leading civil society activist and former director of National Library will chair Committee of Education and Science; Givi Targamadze became Chairman of Committee for Defense and Security; Gia Kheviashvili – Committee of Agriculture; Edward Surmanidze – Committee for Regional Issues; Roman Gotsiridze – Committee of Finances and Budget; Tamaz Khidasheli – Committee of Environment; Lado Tchipashvili – Committee of Healthcare; Khatuna Gogorishvili – Committee for Parliamentary Procedural Issues; Davit Bakradze will lead a newly set up Committee for European Integration Issues.

The only parliamentary committee, which is not chaired by the representative of the ruling party is Committee for Sector Economy, led by Niko Lekishvili, a non-partisan MP elected in single-mandate constituency (“majoritarian” MP). He is a member of the Independent Majoritarians faction.

Later on April 23, Vice-Speaker Mikheil Machavariani explained that President Saakashvili promised Independent Majoritarians faction that its representative would be elected on one of the parliamentary posts “in exchange of loyalty to the authorities and ruling party.”

Three post of Vice-Speaker still remain vacant. According to the parliamentary regulations one Vice-Speaker”s position should go to the parliamentary majority – Machavariani has already been elected; the second one should be occupied by the representative of the parliamentary minority; third Vice-Speaker should be representative of the Adjarian Autonomous Republic and the fourth representative of the Tbilisi-based Abkhaz authorities-in-exile.

However, the parliamentary opposition – the Rightist Opposition, could not to set up parliamentary minority after they failed to endorse sufficient number of MPs in the Parliament. Hence they remain without Vice-Speaker’s position.

The Parliament postponed confirming credentials of MPs representing Tbilisi-based Abkhaz authorities. As a result the fate of third Vice-Speaker”s position also remains unclear.

The Parliament on April 23 also postponed voting over election of representative of the Adjarian Autonomy as a Vice-Speaker of the Parliament, after it became clear that the ruling party intended to vote against.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)