President names Deputy Defence Minister as his Parliamentary Secretary

Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili has named the country’s Deputy Minister of Defence as the President’s new Parliamentary Secretary.

Margvelashvili did so after the previous Parliamentary Secretary, Giorgi Kverenchkhiladze, resigned in March to return to his academic activities at Tbilisi State University where he had been deputy dean of the faculty of law for five years before 2014.

The President said the new Parliamentary Secretary was Anna Dolidze, who was appointed as Georgia's Deputy Minister of Defence in May 2015.

From 2004 to 2006 Dolidze served as the elected president of one of Georgia’s top non-governmental organisations, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA). She is a Doctor of law, a Professor at the University of Western Ontario in the United States and the author of many scientific publications in the field of law.

Margvelashvili presented the new Parliamentary Secretary at a briefing this evening and said Dolidze had already received her first task in her new role.

Her first task will be connected to the approval of candidates for judge of the Supreme Court of Georgia. She will try to convince Members of Parliament to approve the candidates presented,” the President said.

He then announced he was renominating his previous candidates for Supreme Court judges. The President’s candidates were Tamar Laliashvili and Nona Todua.

Margvelashvili first nominated the same two women in March but Parliament did not approve them at the time.

Today President Margvelashvili said the two women had years of experience in the legal field and they would promote a "higher level” court system in Georgia. He also stressed the Supreme Court needed new judges to fill the vacant posts as soon as possible and he called on Parliament to approve his nominated candidates.

Parliament ended its spring session last week so the President hoped a decision about the judge candidates would be made when sessions resume in September.

In the meantime the President expressed his readiness, if needed, to set an extraordinary Parliament meeting to discuss and approve or dismiss the renominated candidates.