A large portion of opposition MPs on Wednesday slammed their still unidentified colleagues who they claimed voted for the ruling Georgian Dream party-backed three candidates in the country’s High Council of Justice, an independent body selecting and appointing judges across Georgia.
The majority of opposition MPs left the session early on Wednesday before the beginning of the vote, claiming the election of specific members in the body would further strengthen “a judiciary clan affiliated with the government”.
The election of the members in the 15-member body needed the vote of at least 90 MPs in the 150-member lawmaking body, with the ruling party currently holding 84 seats.
The opposition lawmakers called their colleagues voting for the new non-judge members in the High Council of Justice “traitors” and tried to identify them, accusing them of cooperating with the ruling party.
Tristan Benashvili, Giorgi Gzobava and Zurab Guraspashvili have occupied three seats of five vacant positions in the body that is frequently criticized by domestic watchdogs and the country’s foreign partners for “intransparency”.
The body is composed of nine judge and five non-judge members, while the one remaining member is appointed by the country’s president.
The Rustavi 2 TV channel on Wednesday identified Nato and Rostom Chkheidze, Bachuki Kardava, Nika Machutadze and Dilar Khabuliani as the opposition MPs who reportedly voted for the candidates.
