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Parliamentary Committee Refuses to Renounce Labor Party’s MP Mandates

The parliamentary committee for procedural issues has rejected the Labor Party’s appeal to renounce their MP mandates on the grounds that it was not written in the appropriate manner.

Four MPs from the Labor Party, including its leader Shalva Natelashvili, describe Parliament in the official appeal as “the headquarters of the ruling party” and the parliamentary chairman as the head of this headquarters. The Labor Party has explained that it doesn’t recognize Parliament as a legitimately elected body and would not refer to it as the Parliament of Georgia.

The decision of the parliamentary committee on procedural issues means that there is now little chance that the Labor Party’s appeal will be discussed by Parliament.

Some opposition politicians have alleged that the Labor Party deliberately worded its appeal in a way to drag-out the process of renouncing its MP mandates.

Kakha Kukava of the Conservative Party, part of the opposition coalition, said on June 19 that the Labor Party was on the one hand “playing the authorities’ game” and on the other hand trying to portray itself as willing to renounce their MP mandates.

Also on June 26 the parliamentary committee for procedural issues approved an appeal by MP Irakli Iashvili of the New Rights Party, part of the opposition coalition, on renouncing his MP mandate. Parliament must confirm the decision. As a result Iashvili will join the other eleven politicians from the coalition, whose MP mandates have already been renounced upon their request, in protest against, what they call, the rigged May 21 parliamentary elections.

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

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