The Parliament discussed with the III reading and approved with 83 votes the Draft Rules of Procedure concerning the temporary election of the Public Defender; the changes to the Rules of Procedure, in line with the 12th paragraph of 12 EU recommendations, envisage the nomination of a candidate and establishment of the temporary rule of the election of the Ombudsman; the 12th paragraph requires transparency of the election of the Public Defender in Georgia. At that, as the recommendation provides, the independent candidates shall prevail upon the nomination of the candidates.

As the reporter, the Chair of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee, Mikheil Sarjveladze elucidated, the Draft ensures the sharing of the best international practice and puts the recent good practice in the legal frame.

“The minor editorial corrections have been introduced after the II reading, the reporter stated: “it is the Draft, creating the basis for the regulation of the issues, related to the election of the Public Defender in 2022. I call on all the parties, providing that it is the Draft aiming at ensuring the proper implementation of the process, which is one of 12 paragraphs, to widely support it. I believe, the Government has taken all possible steps to open all the doors and gain wide support for the Draft”, - he said.

“We are starting the procedures after the III reading for the selection of the 9-member group, on which we intend to hold consultations with all political groups in the Parliament in line with the Rules of Procedure, so the constructive cooperation is important”, - added the Speaker of Parliament Shalva Papuashvili.