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Compiled by Keti Baramidze
Thursday, April 22
Baghaturia slams Public Defender's report

Akhali Taoba writes that MP Jondi Baghaturia is critical of the Public Defender’s recent report to Parliament and believes that Giorgi Tugushi isn’t paying the slightest attention to the problems actually facing us.

The Public Defender’s report was delivered several weeks ago but the Human Rights Committee has not started to discuss it yet. After it does Deputies will discuss it further in plenary session. The Human Rights Committee assumes that Giorgi Tugushi will deliver his report to full Parliament next week, but the final decision on this will be made by the Parliamentary Bureau.

Until now no opposition Deputy has criticised the report, which covers the second half of 2009. Baghaturia is the first. "In Georgia a tradition has been established that each Public Defender begins his term of office by ignoring real problems and addressing bogus issues which don’t exist in Georgia at all," he says.



Avtandil Demetrashvili: We need a non-political President

Chairman of the State Constitutional Commission Avtandil Demetrashvili has stated in an interview with Versia: "The State Constitutional Commission hasn’t worked out its final draft yet. We are still improving and perfecting the working draft. Today only one branch of Government, the executive (Presidency) controls everything and from our point of view this is a bad situation which must be improved as soon as possible.

"We need a non-political President as it’s inadmissible for the captain of the team to be the referee too (therefore Saakashvili should not be allowed to remain as majority leader). However I agree with the stipulation that the President should be appointed only twice, Demetrashvili said.

Asked about the alternative Constitutional reform proposals being developed in parallel by various political parties and other institutions, Demetrashvili says: "Our reforms will not cause any discomfort. On the contrary, it’s much better for politicians to sit round the table and take part in reforming the state instead of holding vain demonstrations.

"I’m glad that the National Council has developed its own proposals and presented them to the country, as both students and the older generation have been involved in this process. The Commission is acquainted with Levan Ramishvili’s very serious project as well, although it will not get anywhere because it would abolish the Constitutional Court, establish a federal system and so on.

"We can make no comments about the present authorities' variant as it has not been presented to us yet. Vasil Gonashvili, leader of our Commission’s working group, will present his version to us this week,” Demetrashvili said.