Ruling Party Offers Solution for Mayoral Nomination Controversy

The ruling National Movement party has proposed that a special parliamentary session be held to allow two opposition MPs to run in the upcoming local self-governance elections.

MP Koba Davitashvili, leader of the Conservative Party, and MP Davit Berdzenishvili of the Republican Party said that they were deprived of the opportunity to run in the Tbilisi and Batumi mayoral races, respectively, when local elections were set for October 5.

According to Georgian law, an MP’s status as Member of Parliament must be formally annulled at a parliamentary session before running in a local election. However, the next parliamentary session is scheduled for September 12, while the deadline for submitting application to the Central Election Commission to run in the local elections expires on September 11. The opposition has accused authorities of intentionally blocking the two opposition MPs from running in the elections.

But Vice-Speaker of the Parliament Mikheil Machavariani said on August 29 that Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze is ready to convene a special session of the Parliament on September 5 to strip Davitashvili and Berdzenishvili of their MP status.

?They can appeal to the Parliamentary Chairperson with a relevant statement and a special session will be convened. But I am sure that they will not do this,? MP Machavariani said.

Officials from the ruling National Movement party say that the opposition MPs will not run in the local elections, and then accuse the authorities of ?creating legal obstacles? as a pretext.

Earlier, the ruling party also proposed that the two opposition MPs appeal to the Parliamentary Bureau, which could serve as a legal body able to annul their MP status without convening a parliamentary session. But the Republican and Conservative party officials declined the offer, stating that, according to the law, an MP?s credentials can only be removed at a parliamentary session.

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