Georgian Parliament elects opposition MP as new Public Defender
Ioseliani was nominated by his party and gained the support of 96 lawmakers at today’s voting in the legislative body. The approval required at least 90 votes. Photo: Georgian Parliament
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The Georgian Parliament on Tuesday supported the candidacy of Levan Ioseliani, an opposition MP from the Citizens party, for the position of the Public Defender of Georgia, in a move that concluded a delayed period of candidate selection and vote for the position.
Ioseliani was nominated by his party and gained the support of 96 lawmakers at today’s voting in the legislative body. The approval required at least 90 votes.
Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili congratulated Ioseliani on the election, which sees the new Public Defender replace Nino Lomjaria in the position for the next six years. The position had become vacant after Lomjaria’s term expired in December.
The voting results came after Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told the media earlier today Ioseliani was a “worthy” nominee for the new ombudsperson.
Selection of an “unbiased” Public Defender was one of the 12 conditions outlined by the European Union for granting Georgia its membership candidate status.
The selection process for the voting saw 19 candidates picked in initial nominations, however parties could not agree on a common candidate, with all 19 candidates failing to receive necessary support in plenary sessions of the lawmaking body.