The Deputy Chairmen of the Parliamentary Committees were elected by the committee members on April 27. MPs representing the ruling National Movement-Democrats party took over the most of the deputy chairmanship positions. Each Parliamentary Committee Chairman has two deputies.
Salome Samadashvili and Kakha Shengelia were elected as Deputy Chairmen of the Foreign Affairs Committee; Nodar Grigalashvili of ruling party and Mzia Tortladze (sister of influential tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili) of Rightist Opposition – Committee of Education and Science; Valeri Gelbakhiani, a non-partisan MP and Zurab Shkhvatsabia – Committee of Agriculture; Jani Kalandadze and Vano Khukhunaishvili, both of ruling party – Committee for Regional Issues; Lado Papava of ruling party and Zurab Butskhrikidze, a non-partisan MP – Committee of Finances and Budget; Davit Saganelidze of Rightist Opposition and Giorgi Gegelashvili of ruling party – Committee of Healthcare; Akaki Gogokhidze and Davit Todradze, both of ruling party – Committee for Parliamentary Procedural Issues; Marika Verulashvili and Nika Chubinishvili (brother of Chief of the President’s Administration Irakli Chubinishvili), both of the ruling party – Committee for European Integration Issues.
Deputy Chairmanship posts for the Human Rights, Legal Issues, Defense and Security and Environment Committees remain still vacant. It is most likely that Gigi Bokeria, who was a leading human rights activist from the Liberty Institute, will be a Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Legal issues.
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