Georgia’s Constitutional Court Judges Elect New Chair

BATUMI, Georgia – Georgia’s Constitutional Court has a new Chair, Zaza Tavadze, who was supported by five judges out of eight members on Thursday.

Tavadze 41, replaced former Chairman Giorgi Papuashvili, whose 10-year term expired in late September. Usually, the Chairperson of the Constitutional Court is elected for five years but Tavadze will hold the position for the next three years and seven months as his 10-year term as a judge of the Constitutional Court expires in June, 2020.

Another candidate for the position was Irine Imerlishvili, who was appointed as a judge by President Giorgi Margvelashvili in late September.

During the Chairperson elections, Imerlishvili received only three votes. Minimum five votes are necessary for a constitutional court candidate, to become a Chairperson of the court.

The new Chair was disapproved by the opposition parties, who claim Tavadze’ was appointed by the government’s interference in order to influence the Court.

Georgia’s main opposition party United National Movement (UNM) says that billionaire oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, who is former Prime Minister and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party, paralyzed the Court.

“I believe that GD and Bidzina Ivanishvili managed to subordinate Constitutional Court, which was the only mechanism resisting Ivanishvili’s whims,” Sergo Ratiani, member of the UNM stressed.

The Free Democrats are also skeptical about Tavadze, saying he used to adjournment hearings in order to deliberately delay some high-profile cases.

Ruling team rejected allegations and called on the opposition not to interfere in the Court’s decision.

“This is the choice of judges and the government did not interfere in this process,” Parliament Vice-Speaker and GD member, Manana Kobakhidze stated.

As for the new Chair, Tavadze believes he will be able “to maintain balance between the governmental branches.”

“All the cases are of the same importance for us and we will act according to the law,” said the Chair of Constitutional Court.

The scandal around the Constitutional Court began in July when then Chairman Papuashvili publicly stated that certain Court judges were being watched and blackmailed by elements within the ruling party to rule in favor of the current government in a number of outstanding cases.

Papuashvili’s claims were followed up by an investigation under the jurisdiction of the Prosecutor General’s Office, but it the mid-term results of the investigation reported none of the judges confirmed Papuashvili’s allegations.

Photo: New Chair of Georgia’s Constitutional Court, Zaza Tavadze

Source: Constitutional Court of Georgia

By Thea Morrison