Parliament committee supports all candidates for public defender
Giorgi Burjanadze received nine votes, the most of any candidate, during the voting held at the committee session. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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The committee on human rights of the Georgian parliament on Monday supported all candidates nominated to become the next public defender with a majority of votes.
Giorgi Burjanadze received nine votes, the most of any candidate, during the voting held at the committee session.
Committee chair Mikheil Sarjveladze explained the ruling Georgian Dream party faction had made the decision to support all candidates with the intention of “not interfering” with political consultations over the election.
We are trying to elect a public defender, not an opposition cheerleader, supporter and lobbyist. It is important for us to elect a public defender who will be everyone's public defender and will be their defender and supporter regardless of political affiliation. We want to elect such a person”, Sarjveladze said.
The approval of the new public defender requires at least 90 votes in the 150-member parliament, which means the ruling party - which currently has 75 MPs - and the opposition will need to cooperate as the public defender position becomes vacant next month.
Lawmakers have already heard from the candidates - nominated by domestic non-governmental organisations and other groups before their evaluation by a parliamentary working group created in September - about their visions for the position.
Mamuka Mdinaradze, the head of the ruling Georgian Dream party in the parliament, on Monday proposed consultations with opposition groups for an agreement on a joint candidate for the position of the new public defender.
Ana Abashidze, the managing director of Partnership for Human Rights organisation and civil society organisations’ nominee for the position of public defender, on Thursday said she had “positive expectations” and praised the “unprecedented engagement and transparency” in the selection process of the new ombudsperson, a part of the European Union’s conditions to grant Georgia the membership candidate status.
The Georgian parliament on Thursday adopted an initiative for electing the country’s next public defender by an open ballot.
Irakli Kadagishvili, the chair of the rules and procedural issues committee of the parliament of Georgia, on Monday said the parliamentary majority and the opposition would find a “worthy” new candidate for the position of the public defender who is “not a representative of a certain political team or course”.
Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Human Rights Protection and Civil Integration Committee in the Georgian Parliament from the ruling Georgian Dream party, has been elected a member of the Global Rule of Law Commission in the European Public Law Organisation, the Parliament press office said on Monday.