New positions will be created in the newly elected municipal councils – in self-governing cities, the chairperson of the council will gain an additional deputy, increasing from three to four deputies. Additionally, the position of deputy chairperson of the council’s commission is planned to be introduced.
This is provided for in the draft amendments to the “Local Self-Government Code.” The draft was prepared by deputies from “Georgian Dream,” and Parliament is considering it under an accelerated procedure.
Each municipal council is represented by five commissions, each led by a commission chairperson. The “Local Self-Government Code” does not provide for the position of deputy commission chairperson. Accordingly, as a result of the adoption of the new law, an additional five staff positions will be created in each council. For the five self-governing cities’ councils, one additional staff position for the chairperson’s deputy will be added.
As the ruling team explains, these amendments will strengthen the work of the council and its commissions.
“In cases where the commission chairperson is on leave, on a business trip, or absent from the council for any other reason, a problem arises regarding who should convene and lead the council commission, as the failure to convene a commission meeting could lead to the postponement of the council meeting itself. This problem will be resolved if the law provides for the position of deputy commission chairperson.
Additionally, given the intensity of activities in the councils of self-governing cities, it is expedient to add another deputy to the chairperson of the self-governing city’s council,” reads the explanatory note to the draft law.
For reference, last week, amendments to the “Local Self-Government Code” were also made on the initiative of “Georgian Dream” deputies, based on which the formation of factions in the councils elected on October 4, 2025, was simplified, and a new opportunity for faction formation emerged.
According to the Code, members of the council elected on the basis of one political party do not have the right to form more than one faction. With the “Georgian Dream” initiative, a temporary norm was added to the Code, the expiration of which will allow, until the term of office of the councils elected in the 2029 elections expires, the possibility of faction formation for both non-partisan council membership candidates and those candidates who leave membership in the respective political party and join another party.
