President Re-Nominates Two Supreme Court Judge Candidates

President Giorgi Margvelashvili re-nominated on Monday two candidates for the Supreme Court, Tamar Laliashvili and Nona Todua, who were voted down by the Parliament earlier this month.

The third candidate, Anna Dolidze, who was also rejected along with two others by the Parliament, was appointed also on Monday by the President as his parliamentary secretary. Dolidze has served as deputy defense minister up until now.

The President said that he has yet to pick a candidate for the third vacant seat in the Supreme Court.

“The Parliament did not approve nominations made by me and it’s problematic because on the one hand all three candidates are highly qualified jurists… and on the other hand the Supreme Court is in a difficult situation where the chamber of criminal cases is actually failing to function because of lack of judges there,” President Giorgi Margvelashvili said when announcing about re-nomination of candidates and appointment of his new parliamentary secretary.

“I once again call on the Parliament… to consider my nominations for the Supreme Court seriously,” he said and added that his support for these nominations is even stronger now.

He also said that the first assignment for Anna Dolidze in her capacity of president’s parliamentary secretary will be to “try convince lawmakers” to support Supreme Court nominations.

“I also want to express hope that the sitting Parliament will approve these nominations,”

Georgia’s outgoing Parliament went into its summer recess after concluding its spring sessions on June 24.

If no emergency session is summoned, the Parliament is not expected to reconvene till early September, when it will hold few sessions before again suspending work as the legislative body in Georgia usually goes in recess one month before the parliamentary elections. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for October 8.