Former Constitutional Court chief appointed Georgia’s Deputy Justice Minister

Merab Turava, the former Chairman of Georgia’s Constitutional Court, has been appointed Deputy Justice Minister under Paata Salia, the current Justice Minister from the ruling Georgian Dream party.

Turava, who served on the Constitutional Court since 2015 and was elected chairman in 2020, officially completed his term on 30 March. Despite the end of his tenure, a decree signed by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on 17 April extended Turava’s state security detail.

His appointment brings the number of deputy ministers under Salia to four, alongside Lasha Magradze, Beka Dzamashvili, and Giorgi Dgebuadze.

The Georgian Dream-led parliament, which lacks sufficient votes to appoint a new member to the Constitutional Court, had not yet replaced Turava directly. Instead, the Supreme Court moved to install Revaz Nadaraia as the new chairman of the Constitutional Court. Nadaraia replaces Judge Khvicha Kikilashvili, who resigned from the bench with five years remaining in his term. According to the official account, Kikilashvili stepped down voluntarily.