Georgian Parliament adopts bill on Constitutional Court
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The Parliament of Georgia has today approved changes into a bill regarding the Constitutional Court at its third hearing.
The bill was adopted with 81 votes in favour and none against.
- The main changes stated in the bill were connected with the procedure of selecting the Chairperson of the Constitutional Court, their Deputies and Secretary to the Court.
According to the amendments, a Plenum session will be conducted within one month after all members of the Court take their oath, or in case of early suspension of the authority of the Constitutional Court Chairman. The Plenum session will elect a Constitutional Court Chairperson and the two Deputies for a five-year term.
Moreover, the Constitutional Court will have the right to nominate its own Chairperson - which means the President, Parliament Speaker and Chairperson of the Supreme Court will no longer be involved in the nomination of a new chairperson candidate. A candidate will be presented by the Constitutional Court judges themselves.
Additionally, Chairperson of the Constitutional Court or their Deputies will no longer have the right to be elected for more than one term.
Another major change system in the bill was connected with the judges whose 10-year term constitutional power was expiring. The amendment said the term of power was strictly defined as 10 years and this period would not be "artificially prolonged”.
"When a judge knows their power expires in 10 years, they will no longer artificially prolong cases in order to maintain power for longer,” the Parliament said.
Meanwhile the decision-making quorum of the Constitutional Court Plenum was increased by two thirds.
Head of the Human Rights Committee Eka Beselia said the bill would now be sent to the Venice Commission.
"We will be looking forward to their assessment and we will work together on their recommendations,” Beselia said.
She added the main motivation while working on the bill was to "free the Court from political influence".
Today’s hearing was not attended by Members of Parliament from the opposition United National Movement. They protested against "too quick adoption of the important bill”.
The Venice Commission has published its preliminary assessment of changes to the Constitutional Court of Georgia, which the country’s Parliament approved on May 14.
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili has vetoed a series of changes to the Constitutional Court of Georgia, which the country’s Parliament approved on May 14.
Today Parliament of Georgia accepted the President’s veto and approved the recommendations offered by Giorgi Margvelashvili over changes to the Constitutional Court of Georgia.
The Venice Commission has welcomed the consensus between Georgia’s Parliament, President and Government on the changes into a bill regarding the Constitutional Court.
Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili has today named two people who will serve as judges of the country’s Constitutional Court for the next 10 years. He described the new judges as "very highly qualified lawyers”.
Georgia’s Supreme Court has today named a person who will serve as Constitutional Court judge for the next 10 years. The new judge was Teimuraz Tugushi, current head of the Department of Research and Legal Provision of the Constitutional Court.
Deputy Chairman of Georgia’s Constitutional Court Zaza Tavadze has been named acting chairman of the Court. Tavadze temporarily took this position after the 10-year term of Giorgi Papuashvili expired on September 30.
Zaza Tavadze, a judge of the Constitutional Court was today elected as the new chairperson of the Constitutional Court of Georgia. He gained five of eight votes to be elected to the post.
For the first time in the history of Georgia the country will have permanently appointed judges, who will serve in the role till they reach the pension age.
A regulation allowing the Ministry of Internal Affairs to permanently retain information on a person’s history of administrative offenses has been ruled unconstitutional.