Reshuffled inter-faction commission holds first meeting
By Tatia Megeneishvili
Tuesday, August 20
The first meeting of the inter-factional commission was held in the Ministry of Justice of Georgia on August 19, after the commission moved from the authority of the National Security Council of Georgia (NSC).
With a renewed staff, the commission was led by the Minister of Justice of Georgia, Thea Tsulukiani.
The meeting was attended by one representative from each party, except for the United National Movement (UNM) which had two representatives. This fact called protest among the rest of the attendees. Tsulukiani said this is why she put this issue to a vote and the decision was made with the majority of the votes that during the next meeting, the UNM will also have only one representative, like all the others have.
"We follow the logic that the authorities had nothing to hide," stated Tsulukiani, adding that during her chairmanship of this committee, no information will be "provocative", as everything will be thoroughly investigated.
UNM member Chiora Taktakishvili, said the opposition should be given the opportunity to conduct elections in a normal environment. “The commission should forsake cynical political statements, which unfortunately took place at the meeting and instead should have very strict guidelines in order to prevent violence," Taktakishvili said. However, she said leaving the UNM with only one representative was the only decision made at the meeting on that day.
Representative of the Christian Democratic Movement (CDM), Giorgi Akhvlediani, insisted that governors were not allowed to take part in the election process. "At the meeting, I was told that this action is not prohibited by law and this is the problem. Years ago the UNM fitted this law on themselves and now the new authorities continue using it and feel very comfortable instead of changing it," said Akhvlediani.
As the Secretary of the Political Council of the GD, Irina Imerlishvili, explained that the president, PM, ministers, their deputies, governors and mayors, are not prohibited to participate in the election campaigns according to the election legislation.
It was on the same day when the secretary thanked everyone for supporting the Georgian Dream’s presidential candidate. However, she appealed to state servants to restrain from using state resources and to avoid participating in the election campaign of Giorgi Margvelashvili during working hours.
Imerlishvili hoped before the beginning of the meeting that the inter-factional commission's work will be much more effective under the patronage of the Ministry of Justice of Georgia. "The inter-factional commission's work was effective even in the NSC, but I am sure it will become much more effective with the Ministry of Justice," she stressed.
The next meeting of the inter-factional commission will be held on September 2 and every next Monday until the announcement of the final results of the presidential elections scheduled on October 27, 2013.
