“Gakharia called being in a boycott a mistake, so it’s a logical conclusion that this document submission is aimed at physically taking up parliamentary seats. If they didn’t intend to enter parliament, what was the point of submitting such a document?!” said Davit Matikashvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Procedural Issues, responding to reports that eight members of the “Gakharia for Georgia” party have ended their boycott and are entering parliament.
According to Matikashvili, the parliament received a letter from eight members of the “Gakharia for Georgia” party stating that they are ceasing activities incompatible with parliamentary membership.
“The spring session ended with the termination of the mandates of 12 so-called Gakharia party members due to their absence from sessions and irresponsible behavior. The issue of recognizing the mandates of the next 12 members of this party logically arises, as they have not withdrawn their list from the Central Election Commission (CEC). The CEC referred the matter of recognizing the mandates of these next 12 members to us, which was first approved by the committee and then by the session. At this stage, we have received a letter from eight of these 12 individuals stating that they are ceasing activities incompatible with parliamentary membership. Therefore, it is entirely logical to conclude that they are preparing to physically enter parliament. Moreover, some time ago, their leader Gakharia called the political boycott a mistake and expressed support for entering parliament. Thus, it is entirely logical to conclude that this document submission is for the purpose of physically taking up parliamentary seats and utilizing parliamentary resources. Otherwise, there would be no point in submitting such a letter. If they didn’t intend to enter parliament, what was the point of submitting such a document? That’s the logical conclusion. However, we cannot say this with absolute certainty, so let’s wait for the session to resume on October 15, when it will become clear what these individuals intend to do. From this party, we are neither surprised by lies, nor by retracting statements, nor by betrayal or fleeing,” Matikashvili explained.
For reference, according to Imedi TV, the “Gakharia for Georgia” party has ended its boycott and is entering parliament. Imedi notes that eight substitutes for the party’s members with suspended mandates have sent a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, stating that they have ceased activities incompatible with parliamentary membership. According to Imedi, they are requesting that Shalva Papuashvili “act in accordance with the procedures defined by law.”
However, according to a statement from the “Gakharia for Georgia” party, they remain in a political boycott, and their position regarding the use of parliamentary mandates has not changed. As noted in their statement, the submission to parliament is a procedural matter, which they also went through six months ago.
Davit Matikashvili: Gakharia called being in a boycott a mistake, so it’s a logical conclusion that this document submission is aimed at physically taking up parliamentary seats
