Georgian Dream withdraws party member from Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee
The Georgian Dream ruling party member Gedevan Popkhadze says that he will not protest the party decision. Photo: fortuna.ge.
Tweet 
Share
The Georgian Dream ruling party has withdrawn Gedevan Popkhadze from the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee which makes it impossible for Popkhadze to take the post of deputy head of the committee, to which he was elected last week.
The decision was made today at the meeting of ruling party members.
Leading figures of the ruling party, Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze among them, claimed that Popkhadze was elected the deputy head of the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee through the violation of mandatory procedures, which was dismissed by Popkhadze.
“This was the decision of the faction and I do not intent to protest it,” Popkhadze said today after the party meeting and added that his attitude to the decision is “negative”.
He claims that the process related to lifetime appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Georgia, which needs the approval of the Legal Affairs Committee, is more important than his post.
Head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Eka Beselia quit the post on 27 December, as she said, “because of the unacceptable process related to judges.”
She put forward Popkhadze’s and two candidates for the position of deputy head of the committee.
Parliament Speaker Kobakhidze said that Beselia had no right to nominate three candidates to the post.
He also says that Beselia decided to resign long before the presentation of the list of the Supreme Court Judges.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, one of the top figures of the ruling party, also says that there is "no connection" between Beselia's resignation and the list of judges for the Supreme Court.
He stated that the ruling party and the head of the party's political council Bidzina Ivanishvili had a "similar view" regarding Popkhadze and his withdrawal from the committee.
The appointment of Gedevan Pophkadze as the deputy head of parliament’s legal affairs committee has stirred controversy in the Georgian Dream ruling party.
Head of Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee Eka Beselia has quit the post and stated at a briefing today that her decision was related to the “hasty and unacceptable” process of lifetime appointment of judges with a “controversial past” to the Supreme Court of Georgia.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has denied any connection between the fact that the Legal Affairs Committee head Eka Beselia and its member Gedevan Popkhadze left the ruling party majority and the controversial process of appointing judges in the country.
Georgian Dream ruling party leaders say that the controversial list of ten judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia will not be discussed in an accelerated manner and discussions around the issue will take place in the spring.
Head of the ruling Georgian Dream party political council and the founder of the party Bidzina Ivanishvili has revealed his view regarding the controversial issue of the nomination of ten judges for the Supreme Court of Georgia at the end of December.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze says that two formats will be created to provide criteria and procedures which will remove question marks regarding the lifetime appointment of judges in courts.