Georgian Parliament Speaker says legislative body no longer shares its democratic mandate with foreign-funded groups

The current convocation of the Georgian Parliament can take pride in its historic legislative achievements, which have reinforced democracy and restored institutional structures within the constitutional framework, said on Tuesday Georgian Parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili.

In his remarks while presenting the annual report of the Parliament’s activities, Papuashvili highlighted the institutional reforms undertaken by the Parliament, which restored significant powers to constitutional bodies.

“Today, laws are adopted by a national legislative body elected directly by the people, without the need to share its democratic mandate with unelected groups, often funded opaquely from abroad - a practice that fundamentally contradicted the essence of democracy. Recent institutional reforms carried out by the Parliament have been crucial in reversing past tendencies to dilute and fragment the powers of constitutional bodies”, the speaker said.

“Among the key reforms, the special investigative service was abolished, and its functions were transferred to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia. Meanwhile, the functions of the Personal Data Protection Service and the Anti-Corruption Bureau were integrated into the State Audit Office of Georgia”, he continued.

In addition to its legislative and oversight functions, Papuashvili stressed that the Parliament of Georgia continues to be at the center of political life, a role that has become increasingly significant amid regional wars and conflicts.