Georgian Parliament Elects Shalva Papuashvili as Parliament Speaker
By Khatia Bzhalava
Thursday, December 30
The Georgian parliament has elected Shalva Papuashvili, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Education and Science, as the new Speaker of Parliament on Wednesday, replacing Kakha Kuchava in the post.
Kuchava resigned from the position on December 24 after serving in the post since April 27. A total of 88 MPs voted in favor of Papuashvil’s appointment, including opposition deputies, while one MP voted against. Papuashvili is the third chairman of the parliament of the tenth convocation.
In his address, Papuashvili pledged that as the chairman of Parliament, he will be the guarantor of the involvement and participation of the opposition elected by the people. He stressed that the role of the parliamentary opposition has increased in an unprecedented manner, creating special conditions for businesslike parliamentary discussion.
The Parliament Speaker also stressed that the main direction of the country’s foreign policy is integration into NATO and the European Union, underscoring that the Georgian Dream party plans to apply for EU membership in 2024.
As Papuashvili noted, the agenda of the following three years includes various legislative reforms, which, according to him, should play a crucial role in the country’s legislative and institutional rapprochement with the European Union as well as in bringing the country’s democratic development to a new level.
Papuashvili also stated that the country’s national task is de-occupation and unification, stressing that this will be his main objective as the chairman of Parliament.
