Parliament Discusses Public TV Board Candidates

Lawmakers discussed on December 18 candidates for the seven vacant posts in the 15-member public broadcaster’s board of trustees.

Proposed 21 candidates, as envisaged by the law, are grouped into three for each vacant seat. The parliament will have to vote for each of the three candidates nominated for one seat and the one who garners most of the votes will become the board member. The vote will take place late on Friday afternoon.

(See detailed list of candidates, their affiliation and how they are grouped here).

The discussion of candidates at the parliamentary session was a formality and no questions were asked by lawmakers to the candidates. The issue was also discussed by the parliamentary committee on sector economy on December 10.

MP Levan Vepkhvadze of the Christian-Democratic Movement, a leading party in the parliamentary minority group, asked the President’s parliamentary secretary, Zurab Dekanoidze, to specify criteria based on which the President selected 21 candidates out of total 24 applicants who made bids for the post. He was particularly interested why chairman of the Georgian Trade Unions Confederation, Irakli Petriashvili, was not selected among the candidates. Without giving any specific details, Dekanoidze responded in general by citing the law and procedures.

MP Vepkhvadze, as well as MP Jondi Bagaturia, the leader of Georgian Troupe party, complained about the way the candidates were grouped into three for each vacant seat, citing that there “might be some candidates” to whom they wanted to vote, but their favorites were listed in the same group from which only one candidate can win the post. Although they did not specify, apparently MP Vepkhvadze was referring to the second vacant seat in which Nodar Sarjveladze, a chairman of the Christian-Democratic Institute, a think-tank set up by CDM and Joni Kalandadze are nominated. And MP Bagaturia was supposedly referring to the third vacant seat where his favorite candidates Levan Popkhadze and Inga Bolotauri, who is affiliated with the Georgian Troupe party, are nominated.

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