NGOs claim ruling party does not want independence of judiciary following appointment of judges

The Georgian parliament appointed six judges to the country’s Supreme Court after the interview process of nine candidates selected by the High Council of Justice ended on July 10. Photo: Parliament of Georgia press office. 

Agenda.ge, 13 Jul 2021 - 16:49, Tbilisi,Georgia

NGOs have claimed that the ruling Georgian Dream party does not want the independence of the judiciary, following the appointment of six judges to the Supreme Court by the Georgian parliament yesterday, despite the calls from opposition, NGOs and the international community to place a moratorium on the process, in line with the EU-mediated agreement, which ended the political standoff caused by the parliamentary elections of October 2020. 

The NGOs claim that with the appointment, the ruling party has reaffirmed that voting for individuals affiliated with the clan is in their interest.

The Georgian parliament appointed six judges to the country’s Supreme Court after the interview process of nine candidates selected by the High Council of Justice ended on July 10. 

Three out of nine candidates did not get the support of the majority and therefore were not appointed to the position. 

Most of the opposition did not participate in yesterday’s voting process, only six out of 66 opposition MPs cast their votes.