IDFI: Refusal to Allow Former UNM Members to Form Political Group Violates Parliament’s Rules of Procedure
The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), a local watchdog, said on May 12 that the refusal to allow former United National Movement MPs Khatia Dekanoidze and Roman Gotsiridze to register a political group violates the requirements of the Georgian Parliament’s Rules of Procedure and hinders the development and strengthening of parliamentary pluralism.
On May 8, the Parliamentary Bureau rejected the request of the two lawmakers to register a new political group “Euro-optimists.” Irakli Kadagishvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Procedural Issues, subsequently clarified that according to the Rules of Procedure, the possibility of forming a political group by MPs, who have split from the same political party does not apply to the groups elected as a bloc. Dekanoidze and Gotsiridze entered the Parliament of the 10th convocation on the list of the United National Movement-United Opposition “Strength is in Unity” electoral bloc.
The IDFI noted that Paragraph 1 of Article 2281 of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure reads that at least two MPs can form a parliamentary political group. “The remaining norms of the said article regulate the rules for the exercise of this right and establish certain limitations and conditions. Otherwise, the right of any two Members to form a political group may be restricted under the conditions laid down in paragraph 5 of the same article”.
The organization also notes that Paragraph 5 of Article 228, as well as any other provision of this Article, or of the Rules of Procedure, “does not refer, directly nor indirectly to the restriction of the formation of a political group by the MPs elected through an electoral bloc.” Therefore, the IDFI believes that the ruling majority’s refusal to register the group is based on “an incorrect analysis” of the Rules of Procedure.
“In particular, the supporters of the refusal of registration could not/did not understand that Paragraph 5 of Article 2281 of the Rules of Procedure is the norm limiting the right and the fact that it does not mention the electoral bloc, excludes the application of this limitation to the MPs elected through an electoral bloc.”
“[Therefore] we believe that the refusal to allow two MPs to form a political group “Euro-optimists” goes against the requirements of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure and thus violates the right of the two lawmakers to form a political group and participate in parliamentary activities in this form,”- the organization added.
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