The Venice Commission"s report on the changes in the law on "common courts" has been assessed by the opposition.
Salome Samadashvili, deputy chairperson of the National Movement faction says that it is clear from the Venice Commission"s conclusion that foreign experts do not expect the election of independent judges from today"s parliament.
"This is a direct message of the Venice Commission that it is clear for them that the majority of the current Parliament will not appoint independent judges in the Supreme Court and this is actually a statement of the Venice Commission"s recommendation. The current government"s policy towards judiciary is estimated. In fact, the Venice Commission, gave a bad mark to the Georgian government, "Salome Samadashvili said.
The Venice Commission advises the Georgian authorities that the Parliament will choose the number of Judges of the Supreme Court, which is necessary for the management of the Supreme Court. Paragraph 16 of the recommendations states that their number should not exceed half of the positions that are vacant. The rest will be appointed by the parliament elected through the next elections. According to the recommendations, it is crucial that the method of choosing is not based on political or personal discussions. The admissibility criterion should be sufficiently wide for the diversity of candidates and nominees.