Ruling party files lawsuit over opposition’s selection of Senaki council member

The ruling Georgian Dream party has filed a lawsuit against a decision made by the municipal assembly in the western Georgian city of Senaki earlier this month, alleging illegitimacy of the selection of an opposition member by the local council due to absence of quorum.

The lawsuit follows a Senaki City Council session on February 9, where United National Movement and former Georgian prime minister Giorgi Gakharia's For Georgia opposition parties approved the mandate of the latter party’s MP, to replace a vacant seat in the council. The ruling party has appealed the decision, claiming the members of the council had failed to reach a quorum to hold the session.

Saba Odisharia, the leader of the Georgian Dream in Senaki City Council, has called the session a “violation of the law” and added the opposition groups should not be allowed “to establish illegal practices.”

In the appeal, GD maintains rules were not followed at the session, which was attended by 16 deputies instead of the required minimum of 17 members. However, the opposition has claimed the session had been a continuation of an earlier meeting that opened with a successful quorum on December 3 before being postponed.

• Senaki Municipal Assembly session with no quorum called “unbelievable” by ruling party MP

Vepkhvia Rusia, the Head of the Senaki City Council office, left the post earlier today in protest, claiming pressure on members of the office but refusing to elaborate on the matter.

Despite the filed lawsuit by the ruling party, two opposition parties elected For Georgia party member Irakli Kacharava chairman of Senaki City Council earlier today. 

Ruling party MP Mamuka Mdinaradze earlier called the session held without a quorum “unbelievable,” saying "an incredibly comic incident has taken place in 21st century Georgia" and criticising the decision to hold the meeting and alleging informal ties between different opposition groups. 

In local self-government elections which took place in October last year, the ruling party won mayoral elections in 63 out of 64 constituencies and garnered 47 percent in the proportional part of the race. The party however lost its majority in seven out of 64 municipalities - the cities and towns of Batumi, Zugdidi, Martvili, Chkhorotsku, Tsalenjikha, Rustavi and Senaki.

Members of the For Georgia party have been elected as heads of office in Tsalenjikha, Chkhorotsku, Zugdidi, Rustavi and Senaki city councils, while Batumi City Council remains without a chairperson.