In 2023, the openness and transparency of Georgia’s Parliament significantly declined, according to a recent report by Transparency International Georgia. The watchdog organization revealed that the Parliament spent 1,836,033.17 GEL on business trips for 98 members, raising concerns over the allocation of public funds.
Transparency International Georgia highlighted that the Parliament had become increasingly secretive, refusing to release public information that could subject MPs to scrutiny. The report stated, “In 2023, the Parliament became an even more closed and opaque agency for representatives of civil society and critical media. Entry to the Parliament building and attendance at committee sessions were denied without justification, citing only general security rules.”
The organization noted that for the first time in a decade, the Parliament did not provide data on MPs’ speeches, disciplinary actions, or comprehensive information on committee activities and that the lack of transparency came amid significant legislative activity and public protests.
In February, members of the majority presented the controversial foreign influence transparency bill, labeled as a Russian law by TI Georgia, which Parliament initially supported. This draft law led to widespread protests from March 2-8, ultimately resulting in the ruling party withdrawing the initiatives. “The public’s resistance played a crucial role in Georgia obtaining candidate status for EU membership, despite only fulfilling three of the twelve priorities set by the European Commission in June 2022”, the organization said.
The report also pointed to a decrease in parliamentary oversight, with only 2,997 questions posed by 47 MPs in 2023. Opposition MP Tinatin Bokuchava was the most active, submitting 582 questions.
Parliamentary activity included 12 ministerial hours and six interpellations, with accountable persons summoned to committee sessions six times, TI Georgia said.
Legislative initiatives saw Irma Zavradashvili from the majority and Aleksandre Rakviashvili from the opposition leading in the number of draft laws proposed, at 105 and 74 respectively. Absenteeism was also highlighted, with opposition MP Tsezar Chocheli missing 23 plenary sessions and majority MP Eliso Bolkvadze missing 13.
Transparency International Georgia criticized several legislative changes, including the preliminary ban on temporary constructions during gatherings, regulations on hate speech, and changes in accountability and control measures. The report also pointed out the issue of unanswered parliamentary questions, with 791 queries from the opposition remaining unanswered, representing 27 percent of their total questions, compared to only five unanswered questions from the majority.
