Competition for Public Servants Postponed in All Four Municipalities of Shida Kartli Region

Lado Bichashvili,Shida Kartli

Competition for public servants in the administrations and municipal boards of Khashuri, Kareli, Gori and Kaspi districts was postponed due to amendments introduced to the Law of Georgia on Public Service by the Parliament of Georgia. Representatives of the local government claim after the Parliament passes the new code on local self-governance and local self-governmental elections are held, the competition commission will renew its activities.

Chairman of the Gori municipal board Davit Razmadze: “We are ready to announce competition even now but then we will not avoid problems after the new code is adopted because it will create some misunderstandings.”

Head of Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association’s Gori office Keti Bebiashvili does not share board chairman’s position. She said the commission should not have stopped functioning. Bebiashvili clarified that amendments to the law on public service does not prohibit the municipal board to hold competition. “According to the amendments to the law, competition terms were somehow postponed though it does not mean local authorities shall hold them only after elections; if they are ready now, they can start announcement process immediately.”

Competition commission for the estimation of qualification requirements was set up in all four municipalities of the region. The commissions were staffed almost identically: chairman of local municipal boards chair the commissions; two more commission members are deputy chairman of the municipal board and district governor. As for other commission members, the commission was fully staffed only in Khashuri district. However, the latter also suspended functioning before elections. Representatives of the civil society have questions about the results of the past competition.

Keti Bebiashvili: “Competition was organized only in Khashuri district; we observed some irregularities in the process. The law requires the commission to invite specialists and members of trade unions. This particular commission had invited only one person from outside; others were district governor, deputy governor, etc. Second problem was observed during counting of competition results. Some problems originated with regard to the attorney of Plevi village. They could not elect a person, who was under criminal prosecution. As for form of interviews, impartiality of this process was also doubtful because they selected people as a result of interviews, though criteria were not defined yet. It is unclear how they evaluated experience, knowledge and skills during interview.” 

Expert in self-governmental issues Shalva Tlashadze said in order to cancel all questions about partiality of the competition and to reduce nepotism rating in the local governments, the United National Examination Center shall hold competitions in public agencies. “Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the best decision when they invited the Center to conduct the competition. Nobody got suspicious about the results of the competition because the Center is highly trusted institution in the country. It can be solution in case of local self-governments too, which will guarantee impartial and fair competition.”

Competition commissions will renew activities after local self-governmental elections in all four municipalities in Shida Kartli region. Commission chairmen do not exclude possibility to resolve this issue at the level of parliament or government, which will develop general competition plan of interviews and testing.