MPs Who did not Vote for the Bill on “Agents” Become Advisers to the PM and the Speaker of the Parliament
Three MPs of “Georgian Dream” – Vladimir ChachibaIa, Nino Iobashvili, and Giorgi Khelashvili, who did not vote for the Russian-style “foreign agents” bill initiated by the ruling majority, became advisers to the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Parliament. The Committee on Procedural Issues has already approved the termination of their parliamentary powers.
Vladimir Chachibaia, the former Chief of Defense Forces, will advise the prime minister on defense matters, while Nino Iobashvili will become an adviser on foreign relations. Giorgi Khelashvili has been appointed adviser to the speaker of Parliament.
Vladimir Chachibaia said it was his “personal desire” and “firm request” to leave Parliament because he felt unprepared for parliamentary life. Iobashvili and Khelashvili did not discuss the matter in detail.
Irakli Kovzanadze, the now ex-chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee and another Georgian Dream deputy did not vote for the bill on “Foreign Agents,” had left Parliament earlier. On 20 March, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili told journalists that Kovzanadze’s departure had nothing to do with the bills. “He had been wanting to return to his job for a long time,” Papuashvili stressed.
There were media reports that another Georgian Dream MP, Davit Sergeenko, who was also among those who did not support the bill on “agents”, was planning to leave parliament. Davit Sergeenko himself said that he was considering resigning from his parliamentary seat. “Being a politician is not what I dreamed of. I would rather work as a doctor. Undoubtedly, the 10th convocation is the last convocation when I am in parliament, public service and politics,” he said.
All the MPs who have left the legislature so far were elected to Parliament on the Georgian Dream party list and will be replaced by the next names on the list.
Also Read:
- 10/03/2023 – Majority Drops the Bill on “Foreign Agents” in the Second Reading
- 07/03/2023 – Law on “Transparency of Foreign Funding” Passes 76-13 in the First Reading
This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)
