Amid opposition boycott, parliament approves Shotadze as chief prosecutor for 2nd time
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Georgian parliament has approved Irakli Shotadze as the country's prosecutor general for the second time amid a boycott of the parliamentary opposition and several independent MPs.
Shotadze was elected with 82 MPs for and none against earlier today, as the opposition and those MPs protesting his candidacy were absent.
Shotadze’s candidacy was approved by Parliament's Legal Issues Committee yesterday.
Shotadze, who was the first Georgian prosecutor general elected by parliament in 2015, was nominated for the post by a legal entity, the Georgian Technical University.
The post became vacant after former Chief Prosecutor Shalva Tadumadze was approved as lifetime judge of the Georgian Supreme Court in December 2019.
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which has more than 90 MPs in parliament, vowed support for Shotadze.
The opposition and the civil sector strongly opposed Shotadze’s reelection, stating that he did not deserve the post and that he was the choice of the ruling Georgian Dream party chair Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Members of opposition parties and their supporters are now holding a rally by the parliament building in central Tbilisi, protesting Irakli Shotadze’s possible re-election as prosecutor general.
The atmosphere around the Georgian parliament building earlier today was tense after civic activists were refused by police to enter the legislative body and attend the hearing of former Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze, who has been nominated for the post again, at Parliament's Legal Issues’ Committee later today. Civic activists say that Shotadze does not deserve the post and his re-proposal was the “personal decision” of the founder of the Georgian Dream ruling party Bidzina Ivanishvili.
Former Georgian Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze, who resigned in 2018, has been selected among four shortlisted candidates for the same post by the Prosecutorial Council earlier today. Now the council will present Shotadze in parliament for a vote.
Former Georgian Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze, who resigned in 2018, might take the post again as he is among the four candidates who were advanced through the selection process by the Prosecutorial Council earlier today.
Georgian prosecutor general Irakli Shotadze on Thursday said his body’s recently signed cooperation agreement with the European public prosecutor's office was “another step taken for Georgia’s EU membership”.
The Georgian parliament on Tuesday passed a bill on new rules for electing the country’s prosecutor general with its first reading, with 126 MPs supporting the amendments in the 150-member legislative body.