The Georgian Dream authorities are taking actions to have the new public advocate, who will be under their control, political analyst Gia Khukhashvili told Front News on Friday, as the term of incumbent public advocate Nino Lomjaria expires in December. 

The analyst suggested that it did not matter how the opposition or the non-governmental sector behaved, as the government “will still find a reason to get rid of unwanted candidates”. 

"It was clear from the beginning that the procedure for the election of the new public defender had no importance, or  how the opposition would behave, or what the representatives of the non-governmental sector would say, even if they [NGOs] walk on tiptoes, it doesn't matter, the government will always find reasons against undesirable candidates”, Khukhashvili said. 

He stressed that the authorities would use the opposition affiliated to them, or any other means, for the election of a desirable public advocate. 

“The government wants to elect its obedient public defender in any way, by tyranny, monkeying around, electing its own candidate nominated by biased opposition members, or in some other way”, said Khukhashvili. 

Nineteen  candidates have been nominated for the post of public defender so far. 

The representatives of the ruling Georgian Dream have called the three candidates presented by the non-governmental sector “politically biased” and said they would not vote for them. The election of the public defender needs 90 votes in the 150-member state legislature, which means that both the ruling party and the opposition should vote for.