Speaker challenged to let opposition MP speak in parliamentary debate

February 8, 2010 by georgiamedia

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Spring sittings of the Georgian parliament have begun and there is an expectation that (as in previous years) President Mikheil Saakashvili will address members.

But if does he could face a sharp retort from independent opposition MP Gia Tsagareishhvili about why there has been no criminal investigation into police violence on 7 November 2007 (when the police attacked peaceful demonstrators in Tbilisi and special forces later stormed the Imedi TV station after it broadcast pictures of the police attack).

Tsagareishvili is also seeking answers from the president about what 400 million Georgian Laris (about $235 million) from the government's contingency fund have been spent on.

However parliamentary rules may be used to simply bar the opposition MP from speaking. Parliament's standing orders specify that only faction leaders and committee chairs can speak in the debate that follows a presidential address. To get the chance to speak Tsagareishvili needs to be called by the speaker - Saakashvili loyalist Davit Bakradze (pictured), reports Gruzia Online.

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