Performance of MPs Representing the Areas of Sports and Arts in the Parliament of Georgia of the 8th Convocation

Performance of MPs representing the areas of sports and arts in the Parliament of

Georgia of the 8th convocation

As the parliamentary elections draw nearer, compilation of party lists becomes a relevant issue. Discussions

on the professions and qualifications of MPs have recently become particularly intensive, which was

preceded by a statement of the Executive Secretary of the Georgian Dream Democratic Georgia party

that there would no longer be so many actors and sportsmen in the next parliament.

TI Georgia conducts monitoring on the activity of the Parliament. As part of the monitoring, we observe the

performance of MPs and its results. It should be noted that performance does not in itself imply positive

results, although it greatly determines how responsibly an MP treats his work.

Based on our research, we can say that profession is not the main problem for the MPs of the legislature of

the 8th convocation. Specifically, profession does not have a significant impact on the assessment of the

responsibility, competence, and, especially, performance of the MPs.

There are dozens of MPs in the Parliament who have never initiated a draft law or given a speech in the

Parliament (see detailed information in the annual assessment of the Parliaments performance). Such

members of the Parliament include many lawyers, economists, and representatives of other professions.

1. Statutory requirements for MPs

The Parliament of Georgia is the highest representative body of the country. The law sets

minimum requirements for its membership. According to Article 49 of the Constitution of

Georgia, a citizen of Georgia who has attained the age of 21 and has the right to vote may be

elected a member of the Parliament. The Constitution does not set any restrictions for candidates

for membership of the Parliament with regard to candidates education, work experience, or any

other factors. Such approach is also accepted in the legislation of developed countries, because it is

believed that citizens should not be restricted in electing their representatives.

2. The number of MPs representing sports and arts in the parliaments of the 6th,

7th and 8th convocations

The Parliament of Georgia of the 8th convocation is composed of 150 members. The largest

number of them are lawyers by profession (48 MPs), followed by economists (25 MPs) and

engineers (25 MPs). The legislature includes 1 academician, 10 MPs with a doctorate, and 14 MPs

who are candidates of sciences.1

The Parliament of Georgia includes 14 members (9.3% of all MPs) who are known for their

activity and achievements in the areas of sports and arts:

Paata Baratashvili

1 http://www.parliament.ge/en/parlamentarebi/deputatebis-sia

Zurab Zviadauri

Zaza Kedelashvili

Eldar Kurtanidze

Zaza Papuashvili

Giorgi Kavtaradze

Aleksandre Kantaria

Teimuraz Chkuaseli

Shota Khabareli

Leri Khabelovi

Giorgi Khachidze

Tengiz Khubuluri

Tamaz Japaridze

Ioseb Jachvliani

It should be noted that some of the MPs who are known to the public for their sports activity also

have a legal education, e.g. Shota Khabareli, Leri Khabelovi, Tengiz Khubuluri, and Eldar Kurtanidze.

TI Georgia also took an interest in the professions of members of the Parliament of the 6th and 7th

convocations.

The Parliament of the 6th convocation (the years 2004-2008), which was composed of 235

members, was predominated by lawyers and economists. As for sportsmen and people of arts,

there were 6 MPs with such profession and career.

In the Parliament of the 7th convocation (the years 2008-2012), there were 37 MPs with a

legal education and 18 economists. This parliament also included 6 members who were known for

their activity in the areas of sports or arts.

3. The practice of other countries

Thirty-seven percent of the members of the UKs House of Commons have an education in

business administration and banking, 2 14% are lawyers, while 10% are media and communications

professionals. The House of Commons does not include actors or sportspersons

(whether by training or by career development). It should be mentioned that the number of

politicians in the House of Commons who have an occupational background in politics has been on

the rise in the recent years, and they make up a quarter of the current members of this chamber.

Only one of 577 members of the National Assembly of France is a former athlete (professional

motorcyclist3). About 13% of the total number of the MPs are teachers and professors, while 6%

have a medical education. The National Assembly also includes 16 former farmers and specialists of

agriculture.

2 https://smithinstitutethinktank.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/who-governs-britain.pdf

3 http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/11/tribun/csp1.asp#P92_3767

4. The performance of MPs representing sports and arts in the Parliament of the 8th convocation

On the basis of TI Georgias reports on the assessment of performance of the Georgian Parliament

(reporting periods: from October 21, 2012, to October 21, 20134; the year 20145) and the data

provided by the Parliaments Organizational Department, we present information about the

performance of MPs who represent the areas of sports and arts.

4.1 Draft laws initiated

The members of the Georgian Parliament from the areas of sports and arts, as well as other MPs in

general, are not active in terms of initiating draft laws. In the period from October 21, 2012, to

October 21, 2013, the only MPs in this category who used their right to initiate draft laws were

Aleksandre Kantaria, Zaza Papuashvili, and Ioseb Jachvliani. In 2014, only 38 MPs used this right,

with the largest number of legislative initiatives (24) submitted by Vakhtang Khmaladze.

In 2014, the right to initiate draft laws was not used at all by Shota Khabareli, Leri Khabelovi,

Tengiz Khubuluri, Zurab Zviadauri, Zaza Kedelashvili, Giorgi Kavtaradze, and Paata Baratashvili.

In 2015, the MPs known for their activity in the areas of sports and arts became relatively active,

which was partly caused by initiation of a constitutional change by 81 MPs, including the MPs

representing sports and arts. In 2015, 6 draft laws were initiated by Ioseb Jachvliani, 5 by Giorgi

Khachidze, 3 by Aleksandre Kantaria, and 3 by Teimuraz Chkuaseli. It should be noted that one of

the initiatives of Teimuraz Chkuaseli concerned the introduction of gender quotas in the Georgian

Parliament. In 2015, the right to initiate draft laws was not used at all by Zaza Kedelashvili, Shota Khabareli, Eldar Kurtanidze, and Giorgi Kavtaradze.

4.2 Attendance at plenary sessions

In 2014, 10% of the salaries of 16 MPs, including Giorgi Khachidze, were retained due to absence

from more than one session without a reasonable cause.

According to the data of 2015, the total figure of absences of MPs representing arts and sports

does not considerably differ from the figure of absences of MPs with other professions. However,

in terms of absences with a reasonable cause, we should mention Zaza Kedelashvili who has missed

51 plenary sessions with a reasonable cause. The MPs with the highest number of absences without

a reasonable cause are Giorgi Khachidze (6 absences from plenary sessions) and Zurab Zviadauri

(5 absences from plenary sessions).

4.3 The number of speeches given at plenary sessions

4http://www.transparency.ge/sites/default/files/post_attachments/Performance%20of%20the%202012%20Parliament,%

2023.04.2014.pdf 5 http://www.transparency.ge/en/post/report/transparency-legislature-has-improved-parliamentary-oversight-

remains-insufficient

The following MPs from the areas of sports and arts did not use their right to give a speech in the

Georgian Parliament in 2014: Tengiz Khubuluri, Zaza Kedelashvili, Ioseb Jachvliani. The same is true

for the following MPs who include many lawyers, economists, and engineers: Makhir Darzievi

(teacher), Gocha Enukidze (engineer-economist), Marika Verulashvili (lawyer), Gogi Liparteliani

(economist), Ali Mamedov (lawyer), Enzel Mkoiani (economist-organizer), Koba Nakopia

(economist), Ramaz Nikolaishvili (engineer-constructor), Azer Suleimanov (economist), Erekle

Tripolski (teacher, producer of documentary and TV films), Giorgi Peikrishvili (constructor), Levan

Kardava (lawyer), Tamaz Kacheishvili (engineer-technologist), Nikoloz Kipshidze (doctor), Revaz

Shavlokhashvili (mechanist), Iasha Shervashidze (engineer-constructor), Tamaz Shioshvili

(economist), Teimuraz Chkhaidze (economist).

We present information about the performance of members of the Parliament of the 8th

convocation who represent the areas of sports and arts. The information includes the following

reporting periods: from October 21, 2012, to October 21, 20136; 20147; and 2015. As we are now

working on the 2015 report and are in the process of counting the data, we chose only the

information that we have processed in full specifically, initiation of draft laws and absences from

plenary sessions as the criteria of performance.

Table on the

performance of MPs

representing the areas

of sports and arts in the

Parliament of the 8th

convocation

Member of Parliament 21/10/2012-

21/10/2013

2014 2015

Shota Khabareli

Majoritarian MP of Krtsanisi

District

(Majority)

Draft laws initiated - 0

Speeches given - 7

Activity of Bureau of

Majoritarian MP:8

Written applications - 2,775,


Speeches given - 12


Majoritarian MP:

Total number of citizen

Absences from plenary

sessions without a reasonable

cause - 0



sessions with a reasonable

6http://www.transparency.ge/sites/default/files/post_attachments/Performance%20of%20the%202012%20Parliament,%

2023.04.2014.pdf 7 http://www.transparency.ge/en/post/report/transparency-legislature-has-improved-parliamentary-oversight-remains-

insufficient 8 The information was provided by the bureaus of the MPs, and TI Georgia was not in a position to verify it.

concrete number of verbal

applications is not indicated,

public meetings - 144

applications - 1,343, public

meetings - 47



cause - 1

cause - 6

Leri Khabelovi

Majoritarian MP of Kareli

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 2


Majoritarian MP:

Written applications 600. Exact number of public

meetings is not indicated.


Speeches given - 7


Majoritarian MP:

Number of citizen applications

is not specified, public

meetings - 15, absences from

plenary sessions without a

reasonable cause - 5



cause - 3




cause - 2

Tengiz Khubuluri

Elected through party list

(Majority)


Speeches given - 0


Speeches given - 0



cause - 0



cause - 0




cause - 3

Zaza Kedelashvili

Majoritarian MP of

Dedoplistskaro District

(Minority)


Speeches given - 0


Majoritarian MP: The Bureau

failed to provide information

about its activity.


Speeches given - 0


applications - 300

Concrete number of public

meetings is not indicated.





cause - 2




cause - 51

cause - 0

Zurab Zviadauri

Majoritarian MP of Akhmeta

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 0


Majoritarian MP:

Number of citizen

applications - 222, public

meetings - 22


Speeches given - 2


Majoritarian MP:


applications - 200. Exact

number of public meetings

was not indicated.



cause - 0

Author of 1 enacted draft law



cause - 5




cause - 11

Tamaz Japaridze

Majoritarian MP of Oni

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 8



failed to provide us with

information about its activity.


Speeches given - 3


Majoritarian MP: The

information provided by the

Bureau did not indicate the

exact number of citizen

applications.



cause - 3



cause - 3




cause - 3

Giorgi Kavtaradze

Majoritarian MP of Zestaponi

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 6


Majoritarian MP: Up to 4,000

citizen applications and up to

150 public meetings


Speeches given - 9



failed to provide the data.





cause - 0




cause - 0

cause - 1

Aleskandre Kantaria

Majoritarian MP of Isani

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 78


Majoritarian MP: Number of

citizen applications - up to

1,737, public meetings - 47


Speeches given - 77


Majoritarian MP: Information

was not provided.



cause - 0

Author of 1 enacted draft law



cause - 0




cause - 0

Zaza Papuashvili

Majoritarian MP of Mtatsminda

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 10



citizen applications 377, public meetings - exact

number was not indicated.


Speeches given - 3



citizen applications - 70, public

meetings exact number was not indicated.



cause - 0



cause - 0




cause - 2

Ioseb Jachvliani

Majoritarian MP of Gldani

District

(Majority)


Speeches given - 0


Majoritarian MP:

Written applications - 1,504,

verbal applications - over


Speeches given - 0


Majoritarian MP:


applications - over 5,378,



cause - 2




cause - 13

5,000, public meetings - 21 public meetings - 35



cause - 3

Teimuraz Chkuaseli

Majoritarian MP of

Chokhatauri District

(Majority)

Draft laws initiated - 0.

Speeches given - 2


Majoritarian MP:

Written applications - 92,

verbal applications - 356,

exact number of public

meetings was not indicated.


Speeches given - 5


Majoritarian MP:


applications - 264, public

meetings - 8



cause - 1



cause - 2




cause - 6

Paata Baratashvili


(Majority)


Speeches given - 15


Speeches given - 19



cause - 2



cause - 1

Draft laws initiated 1



cause - 4

Giorgi Khachidze


(Minority)


Speeches given - 53


Speeches given - 47



cause - 3



cause - 6




cause - 22

Eldar Kurtanidze (elected

through party list) became

a member of the Parliament in

February 2015 as a

replacement of Tamaz

Avadaliani. According to the

data currently at our disposal,

he did not initiate a single

draft law in 2015. He did not

miss a single plenary session

with a reasonable cause either.

Complete information about

his performance will be

presented in the assessment of

the Parliaments performance

of 2015.

Documents

Performance of MPs Representing the Areas of Sports and Arts in the Parliament of Georgia of the 8th Convocation