Parliament suspends MP status for three opposition members, former speaker
Tweet 
Share
The Georgian parliament has approved suspension of parliamentary member status for opposition's Elene Khoshtaria, Shalva Natelashvili and Badri Japaridze and former speaker Kakha Kuchava today.
With 116 MPs registered at the session, the votes for MP mandate termination were distributed the following way:
- Elene Khoshtaria: 77 voted in favour, 9 against
- Shalva Natelashvili: 79 in favour, 28 against
- Badri Japaridze: 77 in favour, 38 against
- Kakha Kuchava: 78 in favour, 5 against
For Labour Party leader Natelashvili and Droa leader Khoshtaria, the termination of their MP status was approved due to their absence on all the autumn sessions of the legislative body. The parliamentary regulations allow for suspension of member status in such cases.
Natelashvili began his parliamentary boycott in July last year, before his party started deliberating on re-entering the legislative body earlier this year. On her part, Khoshtaria, who had obtained her parliamentary mandate with her previous party European Georgia, said the mandate had not belonged to her, but to the party.
For Japaridze, the termination was connected to his conviction of fraud in a case dating back to 2008. Japaridze, a co-founder of TBC Bank and a current leader of Lelo, was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to seven years in prison by Tbilisi City Court on January 12, along with TBC co-founder and Lelo leader Mamuka Khazaradze. Their sentence was waived due to the statute of limitations.
As for Kuchava, he resigned from the post of parliament speaker and refused the position of MP on December 24.
Following a court decision in which TBC Bank co-founders Badri Japaridze and Mamuka Khazaradze were convicted of fraud in a case dating back to 2008, it remains to be seen whether the former will remain a member of parliament.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has rejected calls made by opposition figures to restore proportional lists that would allow replacement of MPs whose status is being suspended in voting in the legislative body, with officials from the party pointing out to a past support for removal of the reserve lists by the opposition.
Two Georgian-based non-governmental organisations have called on the country’s parliament not to support removal of MP status from three opposition leaders, following an approval of the Procedural Issues Committee to revoke their positions on Monday.
The Georgian parliament's Procedural Issues Committee approved suspension of parliamentary member status for three opposition leaders and the former speaker on Monday, bringing the process closer to formal revocation of their positions.
The suspension of MP status for three opposition members arguably reduces pluralism and inclusiveness in the Georgian parliament, European Union Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell said on Wednesday in response to the decision passed by the legislative body.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party will support Badri Japaridze, the Lelo for Georgia party candidate, for the upcoming by-elections in the city of Rustavi, after the politician saw his MP status terminated by the Georgian parliament on Tuesday, UNM leader Khatia Dekanoidze announced on Wednesday.