The Government does Not Take the Opinion of NGOs into Consideration at All

Meeting of the members of the Parliamentary Committee of Self-Governance and Regional Policy with the representatives of NGOs, working on the local self-governance reform was over without any result today. Representatives of non-governmental sector gave a negative evaluation to the bill on local self-government elections elaborated by the State Chancellery. The bill will be presented to the Parliament tomorrow. Both the parliamentary majority and the opposition like it. According to the NGOs, the opposition exchanged its idea of self-governance on other political deals.

According to the above-mentioned bill, the President will appoint governors and city mayors out of city council members elected by the citizens. NGOs had demanded that the population elect city mayors and governors.

Tina Khidasheli, head of the NGO “Young Lawyers Association”, told the head of the parliamentary committee of self-governance and regional policy that the government has not shared the position of non-governmental sector at all. “It is impossible to comment on any article of the bill when we do not agree on its main idea. Our request is that authorities of all levels be elective and not appointive”, Tina Khidasheli announced.