Public Defender's Legitimacy Claims for New Parliament Spark Backlash from Staff
By Liza Mchedlidze
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Georgian Public Defender Levan Ioseliani has defended the legitimacy of the new Parliament's first session on November 25, but his stance has drawn criticism from a group of employees in his office. Ioseliani, speaking to the media, asserted that the session was fully in line with the Constitution, stating, "The only body we work for throughout the year is the Georgian Parliament, to which we submit a report." He emphasized that, according to Article 38 of the Constitution, the Parliament must be convened within ten days of the final results being announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC), which he said was properly followed.
Ioseliani went on to argue that no other legal provisions or pending constitutional complaints could override this constitutional requirement. "The Parliament should be convened no later than ten days after the CEC announces the results. That's exactly what happened, and that's legitimate," he said.
However, his position has been met with strong opposition from 34 members of the Public Defender's Office, who issued a statement distancing themselves from Ioseliani's comments. In the statement, they expressed disappointment over the Public Defender's involvement in what they view as a process that undermines constitutional order and harms the institution's independence. They particularly took issue with the fact that the Parliament recognized the credentials of MPs whose elections were still under review by the courts, which they argue violated both the Constitution and Parliament's own rules.
The staff members from the Public Defender's Office who disagreed with Ioseliani's stance underscored the damage this controversy could do to the institution's credibility. "We are aware that such negative events have an impact on the reputation of the institution, which has been built over the years by the staff, not by Public Defenders elected for specific terms," their statement said.
