Georgia’s Parliament Speaker, Irakli Kobakhidze, and First Deputy Speaker, Tamar Chugoshvili, met with representatives of civil society, international organizations and diplomatic missions today to discuss the progress achieved in the first 100 days since the new Rules of Procedures came into force. The event was organised with the assistance of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as part of their wider support to parliamentary democracy in Georgia.

“Georgia has opted for a parliamentary system of governance,” said First Deputy Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili. “The new Rules of Procedure are what is enabling the Parliament to put this choice into practice by spelling out the new responsibilities undertaken by such a powerful democratic institution.”

Aiming to align parliamentary procedures with the recent constitutional changes, the Rules of Procedure set out the regulations for the work of the Parliament and its bodies, as well as its relations with the other branches of the government and state institutions. The new regulations improve the law-making process and strengthen Parliament’s oversight functions. They also give Parliament more opportunities to summon government officials to plenary sessions and committee hearings and require the Prime Minister to present annual reports on the implementation of the government programme. Furthermore, they provide new mechanisms to increase transparency of the parliament and accountability of parliamentarians and promote citizen engagement in law-making.

The new Rules of Procedure have been developed by the Parliament of Georgia in 2017-2018 in a complex consultative process which has involved partners and stakeholders from civil society and international organizations. EU and UNDP have supported the Parliament throughout this challenging exercise assisting to share best practices from established European parliamentary democracies.

“The European Union is a longstanding supporter of Georgia's path towards a fully-fledged parliamentary democracy. These first one hundred days have already demonstrated a new level of ambition from side of the parliament, which we welcome. We will continue assisting the Parliament to enhance its role in all key areas of governance, especially in its oversight functions and to increasee citizens' involvement in decision-making," said Carl Hartzell, Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia.

“With power comes responsibility,” said Louisa Vinton, UNDP Head in Georgia. “This is why it was so crucial to map out in detail the rules and regulations that the Parliament is to follow, to ensure that the reformed system creates a chain of accountability from the voters to the ultimate policy makers. Focusing on results for people should give fresh impetus to the quest for the Sustainable Development Goals.”

Discussion of Parliament’s new Rules of Procedure will continue over the coming months. By mid-2020, the Parliament of Georgia will release a report on the implementation of this critical reform. 

Media contact

• Madona Nozadze, Parliament of Georgia, mnozadze@parliament.ge
• Sophie Tchitchinadze, UNDP in Georgia, sophie.tchitchinadze@undp.org
• Tamar Mikadze, Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, tamriko.mikadze@eeas.europa.eu