The first session of the 11th convocation of parliament has begun, with only members of the Georgian Dream in attendance. The Honorary Chairman of the ruling party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is also present in the hall.
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Due to President Salome Zourabichvili's refusal to recognize the legitimacy of parliament and her absence from the session, the session is being chaired by the oldest member of parliament, Lado Kakhadze. Representatives of the diplomatic corps and ambassadors from partner countries are also absent from the session.
"Based on information provided by the parliamentary office, we would like to inform you that 89 members of the Georgian parliament have registered for the first session of the 11th convocation. The session is authorized to begin its work," Kakhadze said.
At today’s session, the Georgian Dream party plans to vote on the issue of recognizing the credentials of all 150 deputies, register factions, and elect the speaker of parliament, his first deputy, deputies, and the chairmen of committees.
Lawyers believe that until the election results are appealed to the Constitutional Court, parliament is not authorized to make any decisions.
"If the Parliament of Georgia recognizes the authority of the new members, it will violate the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament," states the Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA).
According to GYLA, the new parliament acquires full authority only when two-thirds of its members, or 100 deputies, are recognized. If it is determined that the number of members whose authority is recognized is less than two-thirds of the full parliament, the plenary session is terminated.
"The President of Georgia has filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court requesting that the election results be recognized as unconstitutional. Accordingly, this lawsuit challenges the legality of the election of all 150 members. Therefore, the Georgian Parliament cannot recognize the authority of the elected members until the dispute in the Constitutional Court is resolved," the organization notes.
GYLA has called on parliament to comply with the Constitution of Georgia, suspend the session, and refrain from recognizing the authority of the new parliament until the Constitutional Court issues a decision on the President’s lawsuit.
The Central Election Commission of Georgia summarized the parliamentary elections on November 16. According to the CEC protocol, the Georgian Dream won 53.93% of the votes, securing 89 mandates out of 150 in parliament. The Coalition for Change received 11.03% of the votes and 19 mandates, the Unity - National Movement 10.17% and 16 mandates, Strong Georgia 8.81% and 14 mandates, and the Gakharia for Georgia party 7.78% and 12 mandates. Only the Georgian Dream agrees with the CEC data, while the opposition claims the elections were rigged.
