Session to Be Held in the Gori City Council on February 5

Lado Bitchashvili, Shida Kartli

On January 25, a session of the Gori City Council bureau was held where participants discussed the agenda of the February 5 session. Discussion of the bill of 2016 budget is on the agenda, which was rejected twice by the Council. According to the February 5 agenda, secret ballot will be held to declare mistrust to the chairman of the City Council Papuna Koberidze, his deputy Nino Zurabishvili and chairmen of four commissions.

The Council deputies, who support the impeachment, wished to insert election of substitutes of those 6 officials on the session agenda but their initiative caused dispute in the Council. After a noisy discussion, the issue was put on motion on the bureau session but finally it was decided that on February 5, the Council will not discuss election of new officials during the session.

According to the deputy chair of the City Council Nino Zurabishvili, if the authority of the council chairman is suspended, according to the regulations, he has two days to appoint special session to elect new officials.

“If the Council members declare mistrust to officials, the decision will be approved within two days time and afterwards it will go in force. Consequently, we could not schedule elections of new chairman, deputy and commission chairmen on the February 5 session,” Nino Zurabishvili said.

On February 5, fraction Free Democrats – Gorelebi will be established during the session; Ioseb Palelashvili will be a member of it, who in the past was chairman of the fraction Georgian Dream.

Ilia Metreveli’s candidature is discussed for the position of Council Chairman and Tamar Tedliashvili is viewed as his deputy.

4 council members from the Georgian Party, 2 members from the Free Democrats and 1 member from the United National Movement request impeachment of the 6 officials in the Council. According to the procedural regulations, 8 out of total 15 council members are enough to declare mistrust to senior officials. All three political parties collected 7 votes. Ioseb Palelashvili is the 8th person who quitted position of the fraction Georgian Dream and will join Free Democrats – Gorelebi.