"Transparency International Georgia” has submitted a legislative proposal to the Parliament of Georgia to amend the Rules of Procedure of  the  Parliament. The legislative proposal is intended to achieve power-sharing  in the Parliament and strengthen the role of the opposition.

According to the legislative proposal, the position of the Chair of 5 parliamentary committees  shall be held by a representative of the opposition. 2 out of these 5 committees  shall be  Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee and Finance and Budget Committee. The remaining 3 committees, with an opposition chair, shall be determined as a result of an agreement between the opposition and the majority.

The legislative proposal is in line with the recommendation [1]of the European Commission on  granting Georgia the official status, according to which political polarization should be resolved through cooperation between political parties in the spirit of the April 19 Agr [2]eement [2]. [2] The so-called Charles Michel agreement stipulated for the positions of chairpersons of some parliamentary committees to be held by representatives of the opposition.

Strong parliamentary opposition is an important component of a functioning democracy and it is especially important for a proper exercise of parliamentary oversight.