Three More Parliamentary Factions Established

Three more factions have been established within the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia (GDDG) parliamentary majority, increasing the total number of GDDG factions to five, according to the Parliamentary Bureau’s decision on December 26.

The newly established Georgian Dream – Conservatives faction unites four GDDG lawmakers from the Conservative Party including its leader and parliament’s vice-speaker Zviad Dzidziguri, as well as Paata Kvizhinadze and Nino Goguadze, plus two members of the Georgian Dream – Democratic Georgia party, Ruslan Gajiev and Mukhran Vakhtangadze. The new faction will be chaired by MP Giga Bukia.

The Georgian Dream – Social-Democrats will be led by MP Gia Zhorzholiani, who has been re-elected in October through Georgian Dream’s party list. The new faction also includes MPs Koba Narchemashvili and Beka Natsvlishvili, both of the Social-Democratic Party, as well as majoritarian MPs from GDDG party Sulkhan Makhatadze, Savalan Mirzoyev and Roman Muchiashvili.

Kakha Okriashvili, a long-time majoritarian MP and the co-founder of one of Georgia’s largest pharmaceutical companies – PSP, will lead the Georgian Dream – for Regional Development faction. The group consists of the following majoritarian MPs: Gogi Meshveliani, Goderdzi Chankseliani, Paata Mkheidze, Guram Macharashvili and Enzel Mkoyan.

Lawmakers in the three factions had to quit the Georgian Dream’s 110-member faction before joining the newly-established factions.

The GDDG parliamentary majority united two factions until now; the Georgian Dream and Georgian Dream – Industrialists factions were established on November 18 at the new parliament’s inaugural session. The United National Movement has two factions and the Alliance of Patriots forms one faction.

Parliamentary faction is a group of at least six MPs, which gives certain privileges to its members, involving a seat and right to vote in the parliament’s bureau (the body which determines the parliamentary sessions’ agenda), guaranteed seats in committees, investigative and other ad hoc commissions and parliamentary delegations, as well as allocation of more time during the debates and discussions in the Parliament.

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