International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy

Performance Report of MPs Elected through Majoritarian Voting System in the 8th Parliament of

Tbilisi, 2016

Introduction International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) presents performance report of MPs elected through majoritarian voting system in the 8th , covering the reporting period from November 2012 to February 2016. It is important to study performance of majoritarian MPs in view of their special mandate to communicate directly with constituents in their respective majoritarian districts, to identify, generalize and take actions in response to their needs and concerns. Work of majoritarian MPs in their constituencies is supported by the bureaus, which provide assistance for effective performance and communication with local population. Majoritarian MPs have the right to introduce bills and make speeches at plenary sittings, which should be the most effective way to solve local problems at the legislative level. This report provides an account of monitoring parliamentary performance of majoritarian MPs, including number of their legislative initiatives, as well as quantitative analysis of their absences from plenary sittings without a valid reason and speeches made at plenary sittings. The report also provides information about actions of majoritarian MPs taken in response to requests/appeals of citizens and frequency of their meetings with constituents, functions of the bureaus, their budgets and staffing policy. To analyze performance of majoritarian MPs in the 8th parliament of Georgia elected in 2012, ISFED requested access to the following public information from the majoritarian MPs concerning their performance: • Frequency of meetings with constituents; • Actions taken in response to written requests of constituents; • Number of written requests submitted to the Bureaus; • Number of employees at each Bureau; • Annual salary budgets of each Bureau. In addition, ISFED requested access to the following information from the Office of the Parliament of Georgia about performance of the majoritarian MPs: • Number of bills were introduced by majoritarian MPs and names of majoritarian MPs that introduced each bill; • Names of majoritarian MPs that exercised their right to make a speech during a plenary sitting and frequency of these speeches. Out of 73 MPs elected through the majoritarian voting system, only 27 provided the information requested by ISFED. The Office of the Parliament of Georgia provided timely and detailed answers to all questions of ISFED.

Legal Basis of Majoritarian MPs’ Mandate

There are 150 MPs in the Parliament of Georgia, including 73 elected through the majoritarian voting system and 77 elected through the proportional voting system. By virtue of the Georgian Constitution, a member of the Georgian Parliament is a representative of the whole Georgia. S/he enjoys a free mandate and his/her recall is prohibited.1 Although all members of the Georgian Parliament represent the whole country, majoritarian MPs have a different relationship with voters under the Georgian legislation that recognizes the unique mandate of majoritarian MPs and allocates additional funding from the budget of the Georgian Parliament in view of the specific nature of their work.2 Under Article 19 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, the bureau of majoritarian MP is set up in each majoritarian district with the main functions of organizing the work with constituents and facilitating participation of majoritarian MP in the work of the executive branch of the government and relevant local self- government bodies, as well as in the local decision-making process. Bureau’s work is subject to the Regulations introduced by the Procedural Issues Committee and adopted by the Bureau of the Parliament of Georgia. Expenditures of bureaus of majoritarian MPs are covered by the budget of the Georgian Parliament.

1 Constitution of Georgia, Article 53, para. 1 2 The Law of Georgia on the Status of A Member of the Georgian Parliament”, Articles 31 and 32; also, the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, Article 19 Key findings

• ISFED found that often there is no contact between majoritarian MPs and their respective constituents due to the lack of action and initiative by majoritarian MPs to communicate with voters;

• Georgian legislation regulates obligations of majoritarian MPs before constituents. Most important obligations include meeting with constituents and addressing their problems; however, in reality majoritarian MPs often fail to properly fulfill their obligations;

• There is a special page about performance of majoritarian MPs on the official website of the Parliament of Georgia.3 However, it does not provide locations of bureaus of majoritarian MPs, their office hours (date and time), number of bills initiated by majoritarian MPs, information about majoritarian districts and other important details. The above information is not available or relevant sections are under construction, which means that Georgian majoritarian MPs fail to provide information proactively to constituents about their parliamentary work and performance;

• Because citizens address majoritarian MPs mostly about issues that fall under the purview of other state authorities, bureaus refer their requests to relevant bodies for consideration. It is safe to conclude that majoritarian MPs are often unable to provide solutions to local problems, considering that voters have wrong expectations and information about powers and competencies of majoritarian MPs;

• During the reporting period, out of 73 majoritarian MPs 37 did not exercise their right to introduce a bill; remaining 36 MPs that exercised their right to introduce a bill and initiated a total of 331 legal drafts;

• From November 2012 through the fall session in 2015, number of absences without a valid reason was 378. Out of 73 MPs, only 11 never missed a parliamentary sitting, while 8 MPs missed one sitting each and 54 MPs missed two or more sittings;

• Out of all majoritarian MPs, 7 have not exercised their right to make a speech during a plenary sitting in the 8th Parliament; neither did they initiate a single bill;

• Number of employees varies across different bureaus and it does not depend on number of constituents in a majoritarian district concerned or on any other characteristics of the district. There is no uniform practice or a legal standard defining the number of employees in each bureau.

• There are no uniform standards about salary budgets in bureaus. Rather, salary budgets and remunerations vary across different bureaus.

3 http://parliament.ge/ge/parlamentarebi/majoritarebi-22 I. Exercise of the Right of Legislative Initiative

Law making is an important part of the work of Georgian MPs, including majoritarian MPs. In addition, the right of legislative initiative is a constitutional right of a member of the Georgian Parliament. Frequency of legislative initiatives introduced by majoritarian MPs is rather important and interesting, considering that they have additional funding allocated from the parliamentary budget for communicating with constituents. Therefore, it is safe to conclude that majoritarian MPs are better positioned to be well-informed about local needs and have the ability to address local challenges by proposing new laws. Within the monitoring, ISFED examined statistics of legislative initiatives introduced by majoritarian MPs, which included bills introduced individually and collectively in the parliament. Based on the information provided by the Office of the Parliament, during the reporting period a total of 331 bills were proposed by majoritarian MPs in the eight Parliament of Georgia. Out of 73 majoritarian MPs only 36 participated in initiation of these bills. 6 bills were proposed collectively, with participation of 46 to 80 MPs,4 while 37 majoritarian MPs never exercised their right of legislative initiative. Table 1 below provides the list of 36 majoritarian members of the parliament that exercised their right of legislative initiative, along with the number of bills that they proposed during the reporting period. Table 1 # Name of the majoritarian MP Number of bills introduced 1. Davit Onoprishvili 41 2. Vakhtang Khmaladze 33 3. Tamar Kordzaia 22 4. Giorgi Kakhiani 20 5. Nodar Ebanoidze 18 6. Shalva Shavgulidze 17 7. Gedevan Popkhadze 16 8. Zurab Abashidze 16 9. Erekle Tripolski 14 10. Zakaria Kutsnashvili 14 11. Eka Beselia 13 12. Zviad Dzidziguri 6 13. Zviad Kvachantiradze 6 14. Alexandre Kantaria 5 15. Mirian Tsiklauri 4 16. Akaki Bobokhidze 4 17. Manana Kobakhidze 4 18. Ioseb Jachvliani 4

4 Based on the information provided by the Parliament of Georgia, out of 311 bills 6 were introduced collectively by 40-48 MPs but names of these MPs are not provided. In addition, the Parliament provided the list of 36 majoritarian MPs that exercised their right of legislative initiative. 19. Murman Dumbadze 3 20. Paata Kiknavelidze 3 21. Zaza Papuashvili 3 22. Eliso Chapidze 3 23. Tina Khidasheli 3 24. Davit Usupashvili 2 25. Dimitri Khundadze 2 26. Tamaz Japaridze 2 27. Giorgi Gozalishvili 2 28. Viktor Dolidze 2 29. Malkhaz Vakhtangashvili 2 30. Paata Lezhava 2 31. Kakhaber Okriashvili 2 32. Teimuraz Chkuaseli 2 33. Zurab Zviadauri 1 34. Anzor Bolkvadze 1 35. Gela Samkharauli 1 36. Malkhaz Tsereteli 1

II. Exercise of the Right to Make A Speech during Plenary Sittings of the Parliament

MPs elected through the majoritarian voting system have the right to use the parliamentary platform, which is an important tool for helping constituents make their voice heard in the supreme legislative body. However, nearly 10% of majoritarian MPs never made a speech during a plenary sitting, 30% gave a speech no more than 10 times, and 17% used the parliamentary platform at least 100 times or more. Out of 73 majoritarian MPs, 7 never exercised their right to make a speech during a plenary sitting in 2012-2016. Table 2 below provides the list of their names: Table 2 Name, surname District Zaza Kedelashvili Dedoplistskaro Giorgi Peikrishvili Gardabani Revaz Shavlokhashvili Tsalka Enzel Makoyan Ninotsminda Gogi Liparteliani Lentekhi Levan Kardava Tsalenjikha Rostom Khalvashi Khelvachauri

Interestingly, from October 2012 to February 2016, the above MPs never exercised their right to legislative initiative either.

The following four majoritarian MPs made a speech at a plenary sitting of the parliament once during the reporting period:

Table 3 Name, surname District Zurab Zviadauri Akhmeta Kakha Butskhrikidze Terjola Roland Akhalaia Zugdidi Teimuraz Chkhaidze Lanckhuti

The following 6 majoritarian MPs exercised their right to make a speech 2 times during the reporting period:

Table 4 Name, surname District Marika Verulashvili Kvareli Davit Bezhuashvili Tetritskaro Viktor Japaridze Mestia Davit Dartsmelidze Abasha Guram Misabishvili Senaki Soso Danelia5 Martvili

5 Soso Danelia was elected as majoritarian MP in the October 2013 by-elections The right to make a speech was most often exercised by the following majoritarian MPs: Table 5 Name, Surname Number of speeches District made Eka Beselia 436 Poti Vakhtang Khmaladze 392 Didube Zakaria Kutsnashvili 361 Tianeti Alexandre Kantaria 257 Isani Davit Onoprishvili 226 Kaspi Shalva Shavgulidze 215 Vake

The following 6 MPs exercised their right to make a speech at least 100 times but no more than 200 times: Table 6 Name, surname Number of speeches District made Giorgi Kakhiani 139 Tamar Kordzaia 138 Nadzaladevi Gedevan Popkhadze 131 Borjomi Dimitri Khundadze 125 Mtskheta Goderdzi Bukia 108 Khobi Tariel Londaridze 100 Aspindza

III. Absences from Plenary Sittings Without A Valid Reason

A member of the Georgian Parliament has an obligation to attend all plenary sittings of the Parliament of Georgia. According to the Rules of Procedures of the Parliament, an MP is the principal subject of the Parliamentary activities, whose work is related to participation in the decision-making process in parliamentary committees, commissions and plenary sittings. All MPs are obligated to attend plenary sittings of the parliament and participate in debates and decision-making.6 According to the Rules of Procedures of the Parliament of Georgia, a parliamentary session is planned in two-week cycles. The first week, with the exception of the first week of a newly elected parliament, is meant for plenary sittings and committee work, while the second week focuses on meetings with voters and committee work. 7 Plenary sittings are usually held two times a week – on Wednesdays and Fridays of the week of plenary sittings. The registration of MPs is held before the opening of the morning sitting and before voting. Following registration of MPs before opening of each morning sitting and before voting, the Usher records attendance of MPs. Majority and minority leaders and faction chairpersons, or in an event of their absence – their deputies provide the Usher with written information about reasons why the majority/minority/faction members are absent. MPs that are not affiliated with the majority/minority/faction should notify the Usher about the reason of their absence before the sitting begins. In an event of their failure to do so, reason of absence will be deemed invalid. If a member of the parliament fails to register during the morning session or before the voting, he or she will be deemed absent.8 Valid reasons of absence from plenary and committee sittings include: medical or family issues and an official travel. Chair (or deputy chair) of the relevant committee should be informed about the reason of absence in an event of absence from the committee sitting, or a faction chair (deputy chair) in an event of absence from the plenary sitting. Information about absences from the plenary sitting of the parliament without a valid reason is published on the website of the Parliament of Georgia. Based on the information available on the website, from November 2012 to the fall session in 2015 majoritarian MPs in the 8th Parliament missed a total of 378 sittings without a valid reason. Out of 73 majoritarian MPs, 13 have no invalid absences, 8 have 1 invalid absence each and 54 have two or more invalid absences each. 9 Majoritarian MP of Kvareli Marika Verulashvili had the most number of absences – 19, followed by Terjola Majoritarian MP Kakha Butskhrikidze - 18 absences, Ckhorotsku Majoritarian MP Levan Kardava – 15 absences, and Tetritskaro Majoritarian MP Davit Bezhuashvili – 14 absences.

6 Rules of Procedures of the Parliament. Article 14 (2c). 7 Rules of Procedures of the Parliament. Article 126. 8 Rules of Procedures of the Parliament. Article 133 (6) 9 See table 7 Information about absences from the plenary sittings of parliament without a valid reason is published on the website of the Parliament of Georgia. According to the applicable procedure10, at the end of each plenary session the Office of the Usher prepares the list of MPs that were absent from the session without a valid reason and provides it to the Committee for Procedural Issues and Rules. The latter publishes the list on the website of the Parliament of Georgia.11 Figure 7. Invalid Absences of Majoritarian MPs from plenary sittings of the Parliament N Name, Surname Number of absences 1. Verulashvili Marika 19 2. Butskhrikidze Kakha 18 3. Kardava Levan 15 4. Bezhuashvili Davit 14 5. Akhalaia Roland 13 6. Kvachantiradze Zviad 13 7. Lezhava Paata 12 8. Chavchanidze Davit 12 9. Samkharauli Gela 11 10. Khabelov Leri 11 11. Japaridze Viktor 11 12. Sanikidze Gubaz 11 13. Dumbadze Murman 10 14. Petrosyan Samvel 9 15. Ghviniashvili Giorgi 9 16. Bolkvadze Anzor 8 17. Nakopia Koba 8 18. Chilingarashvili Zurab 8 19. Dolidze Viktor 8 20. Chkuaseli Teimuraz 7 21. Gelashvili Valeri 7 22. Enukidze Gocha 7 23. Dzidziguri Zviad 7 24. Shavlokhashvili Revaz 7 25. Japaridze Tamaz 6 26. Bobokhidze Akaki 6 27. Zviadauri Zurab 6 28. Okriashvili Kakha 6 29. Popkhadze Gedevani 6 30. Kedelashvili Zaza 5 31. Gelashvili Gela 5 32. Makoyan Enzel 5 33. Peikrishvili Giorgi 5 34. Kutsnashvili Zakaria 5 35. Shavgulidze Shalva 5 36. Abashidze Zurab 4 37. Bukia Goderdzi 4

10 The Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, Article 286 (14). 11 See the information at: http://bit.ly/1ssqyoL 38. Liparteliani Gogi 4 39. Shervashidze Iasha 4 40. Chapidze Eliso 4 41. Ckhaidze Teimuraz 4 42. Khabuliani Sergo 4 43. Onoprishvili Davit 3 44. Dartsmelidze Davit 3 45. Kobakhidze Manana 3 46. Jachvliani Soso 3 47. Chitashvili Vazha 3 48. Tripolski Erekle 3 49. Kiknavelidze Paata 3 50. Megrelidze Omar 2 51. Misabishvili Guram 2 52. Lemonjava Vakhtang 2 53. Beselia Eka 1 54. Suleymanov Azer 1 55. Tsiklauri Mirian 1 56. Khabareli Shota 1 57. Khundadze Dimitry 1 58. Kordzaia Tamar 1 59. Kavtaradze Giorgi 1 60. Kantaria Alexander 1 61. Gozalishvili Giorgi 0 62. Ebanoidze Nodar 0 63. Vakhtangishvili Malkhaz 0 64. Londaridze Tariel 0 65. Papuashvili Zaza 0 66. Usupashvili Davit 0 67. Tsereteli Malkhaz 0 68. Khalvashi Rostom 0 69. Khalvashi Pati 0 70. Khmaladze Vakhtang 0 71. Khidasheli Tamar 0 72. Kakhiani Giorgi 0 73. Danelia Soso 0

Based on Article 286 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, invalid absence from a plenary sitting is punishable by a sanction – in particular, more than one absence without a valid reason during one calendar month leads to a 10% salary deduction but no more than a total of 50% salary deduction.12 However, deduction from MP’s salary will be made if the MP is absent from a regular plenary sitting, while absence from a special session or a special sitting will not lead to the salary deduction.13 Absence from a plenary sitting without a valid reason is recorded in a report and announced during the last plenary sitting of a calendar month by the sitting

12 The Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, Article 286 (9; 11). 13 The Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, Article 286 (12). chairperson. Based on these recordings, the Usher’s Office prepares the list of absences and sends it to the Financial Support Department of the Office of the Parliament for imposition of applicable sanctions. Although many majoritarian MPs were frequently absent from plenary sittings, deductions were made only from salaries of 5 majoritarian MPs. Total amounts of deductions from salaries of majoritarian MPs is as follows: . Teimuraz Chkuaseli - GEL 400 . Roland Akhalaia – GEL 200 . Marika Verulashvili – GEL 758 . Koba Nakopia - GEL 758 . Viktor Japaridze – GEL 390 Although many MPs had absences without a valid reason, sanctions were imposed only on five MPs, which is why the practice of imposing financial sanctions only on MPs that missed plenary sittings during the period of a regular parliamentary session is unfair. In light of the foregoing, it is safe to conclude that applicable norms of the Rules of Procedures of the Parliament fail to ensure use of adequate sanctions against invalid absences of MPs from plenary sittings of the parliament. In addition, clearly majority of MPs got away without sanction for missing special sessions or special plenary sittings of the parliament.

IV. Funding for Majoritarian MP Bureaus

The parliamentary budget allocates additional resources to support work of majoritarian MPs. Legal basis of the work of majoritarian MPs includes: Article 19 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, Resolution of the Parliament of Georgia no.2714/IS, dated March 2, 2006, on Measures for Improving Relationship of Members of the Georgian Parliament with Voters and the Regulations for Determining the Functions, the Rules of Organization and Activity of the Bureau of MP Elected through Majoritarian Voting System, and [for determining] Rules for Spending Funds Allocated from the Budget of the Parliament for the Bureau (hereinafter, the Resolution), adopted by the Decision no.29/3 of the Bureau of the Parliament of Georgia on 7 February 2013. Under Article 19 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia, for organizing the work with constituents and facilitating participation of majoritarian MPs in the work of the executive branch of the government and relevant local self- government bodies, as well as in local decision-making process, a bureau of majoritarian MP is opened locally. Functions, the rules of organization and activity of the bureau are determined by the Regulations introduced by the Parliamentary Committee of Procedural Issues and Rules and approved by the Bureau of the Parliament. Expenses related to the work of a bureau of majoritarian MP will be covered from the Budget of the Parliament.14 Under Article 3 of the Regulations, a lump-sum payment of GEL 5,000 is made from the Budget of the Parliament for material and technical support of each bureau. The funding is used to purchase material and technical supplies for the bureaus. In addition, each bureau receives GEL 5,000 for purchasing fixed assets that are required for functioning of the bureau, for paying employee salaries and renting an office space, while the remaining balance is used to cover communication, fuel and transportation expenses as well as minor repair works at the bureau office and to support functioning of the bureau. The payment is made by the Office of the Parliament of Georgia, based on a request made by the majoritarian MP. According to the Regulations, majoritarian MP is responsible for managing property and finances allocated to the bureau. The majoritarian MP must submit a statement of expenditures to the Office of the Parliament every three months. A total of GEL 12 065 777 was spent to support work of the bureaus of majoritarian MPs in 2013-14-15. Amounts of funding allocated to the bureaus by years is as follows: in 2013, a total of GEL 4 085 496 was allocated for the bureaus of 66 majoritarian MPs, total amount spent was GEL 3 677 212, unspent balance was 408 284 GEL.15

14 A majoritarian MP should report to the Parliamentary Committee of Procedural Issues and Rules on an annual basis about expenses made by the bureau. 15 In 2013, MPs of Terjola, Zestaponi, Vani, Khoni, Tskaltubo, Ninotsminda and Gardabani did not receive the funding.

In 2014, a total of GEL 4 794 Funding for the bureaus 883 was allocated for the 16 Balance Expenditures Receipts bureaus , total amount spent was GEL 4 199 367, remaining 561543 balance was GEL 595 515. 2015 4189198 4750741 In 2015, bureaus of 73 595515 2014 4199367 majoritarian MPs received GEL 4794883 4 750 741 in funding, total 408284 amount spent was GEL 4 189 2013 3677212 4085496 198, remaining balance was GEL 561.543.

16 In 2014, 73 majoritarian MPs received the funding

V. Rules for Selection of Bureau Employees and their Compensation

Work of employees of a bureau of majoritarian MP is regulated by the Regulations for Determining the Functions, the Rules of Organization and Activity of the Bureau of MP Elected through Majoritarian Voting System, and [for determining] Rules for Spending Funds Allocated from the Budget of the Parliament for the Bureau adopted by the Decision no.29/3 of the Bureau of the Parliament of Georgia. According to the Regulations, bureau employees ensure organization of the bureau’s work and support its activities. Bureau employees are nominated by the majoritarian MP concerned and appointed by the Chief of the Office of the Parliament for length of the MP’s term. Each bureau employees at least 3 people. Most number of employees was found in the bureau of Akhaltsikhe Majoritarian MP – 12 people. There is no unified standard of salary budget in bureaus but rather, salary budgets and remuneration differ across bureaus. For instance, annual salary budget for 12 employees of the bureau of Akhaltsikhe Majoritarian MP is GEL 46 764, while 3 employees in the bureau of Chokhatauri majoritarian MP have the annual salary budget of GEL 41 767, 63, i.e. average monthly salary in the bureau of Akhaltsikhe Majoritarian MP is GEL 325 per employee, while employees of the bureau of Chokhatauri majoritarian MP receive the average monthly salary of GEL 1160. The bureau of Kutaisi Majoritarian MP employees 4 people; their annual salary budget is GEL 42,000. Head of the bureau receives a remuneration of GEL 1400 per month while remaining employees earn GEL 700 per person per month. According to the information provided by the bureau, employee salary amounted to GEL 500-550 per person per month but in consideration of the heavy workload, the majoritarian MP increased the salaries. Figure 8. Number of employees in each bureau and their annual salary budgets17 Name of district Number of Annual salary employees budget Kutaisi 4 42 000 Aspindza 8 45 372 Senaki 4 32160 – 2015 Tsageri 5 48 000 Batumi 5 43 778 Isani 3 43 200 Vani 5 49 020 Akhmeta 5 38 400 Akhaltsikhe 12 46 764 Samtredia 4 44 540 (2015) Vake 4 40 800 Lagodekhi 4 39 000 Ninotsminda 6 31 500 Mtskheta 6 47 056 (average) Chokhatauri 3 41 768 (2015)

17 The table provides information about bureaus of majoritarian MPs that provided the public information requested by ISFED. Ozurgeti 4 38 400 Dusheti 5 37 682 (2015) Schkhere 5 49 025 (2015) Poti 4 39 150 (2015) Saburtalo 3 36 600 Dedoplistskaro 6 38 760 Chkhorotsku 5 32 000 Kharagauli 6 37 032 (average) Shuakhevi 5 46 800 Nadzaladevi 3 36 000 (2015) Ambrolauri 7 Information is incomplete Keda 5 Information is incomplete

Analysis of the information provided by majoritarian MPs illustrates that number of employees varies across bureaus and it does not depend on number of constituents in a majoritarian district concerned or on any other characteristics of the district. There is no uniform practice or a legal standard defining the number of employees in the bureaus. In addition, there are no official criteria or rules for selection of employees or principles for providing remuneration to bureau employees.

VI. Actions Taken in Response to Requests of Citizens

In terms of actions taken in response to requests of citizens, information provided by majoritarian MPs suggests that majoritarian MPs and their bureaus act as channels of communication between relevant government bodies and local citizens. For instance, according to the information provided by Nadzaladevi majoritarian MP, she received letters about social issues, health care, provision medication, land legalization, payment of utility bills, earthquake consequences, water system, improvement of sewer system, installment of counters, etc. Analysis of the information provided by bureaus of majoritarian MPs suggests that requests vary across majoritarian districts (table 10). According to the information provided by bureaus of 27 majoritarian MPs, majoritarian MPs of Poti, Nadzaladevi, Akhmeta, Kutaisi and Vake received most number of requests/appeals from citizens. Table #10 Requests received by majoritarian MPs from their constituents Name of district Written requests Verbal requests Kutaisi 1538 2000 Aspindza 75 Senaki 716 Tsageri 436 Batumi 778 Isani 731 Vani 735 Akhmeta 2338 Akhaltsikhe 38 Samtredia 230 Vake 1227 Lagodekhi 151 Ninotsminda 159 Mtksheta 242 Chokhatauri 95 878 ≥ Ozurgeti 800 Dusheti 517 Sachkhere 797 Poti 2491 3600 ≥ Saburtalo 404 Dedoplistskaro 1200 Chkhorotsku 98 123 Kharagauli 683 1200 Shuakhevi 63 600 Nadzaladevi 2387 Ambrolauri 92 Keda 216

Based on the information provided by bureaus of all majoritarian MPs, requests received by the bureaus of majoritarian MPs mostly fall within purviews of the local self-government, the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs or other state agencies. The only exception was the bureau of Ninotsminda Majoritarian MP. According to the information provided by the majoritarian MP of Ninotsminda, a total of 159 requests were received. The MP reviews and responds the requests in written. According to the MP, “all requests have been granted since 2012”. According to Tetritskaro majoritarian MP, for solving problems that his constituents were facing, he applied to the local government on numerous occasions with a request to study economic situation of local families and provide subsequent recommendations to the Social Service Agency but local Gamgeoba never acted on these requests. The MP stated that despite a number of attempts, the local government refuses to communicate and cooperate. The latter believes that this has to do with the fact that he is a member of an opposition political party. According to Poti majoritarian MP, most requests received by the bureau concern issues that fall under the purview of the local government. According to the bureau of Poti majoritarian MP, their efforts to make sure that the local government was aware of local problems entailed a survey (by phone and by door-to-door campaign) and referral of written and verbal requests of local citizens. According to the bureau, following the local self-government elections in 2014, cooperation between the bureau and the local self-government became more effective. In addition, also according to the bureau, they have a mechanism of coordination with different bodies of executive government, which makes it easier to find legal solutions to local problems and concerns. The bureau of Aspindza majoritarian MP refers most citizen requests to relevant authorities for further actions. According to the bureau of Senaki majoritarian MP, they partner with the local government and act as an intermediary between the latter and the local population to find solutions to local problems. Majority of issues that local citizens complain about falls under the purview of the local self-government, ministries and other relevant state bodies. ISFED found that bureaus of the following majoritarian MPs employ the same practice: Tsageri, Isani, Vani, Akhaltsikhe, Samtredia, Vake, Mtskheta, Chokhatauri, Ozurgeti, Dusheti, Sachkhere, Saburtalo, Chkhorotsku, Kharagauli, Shuakhevi, Batumi and Kutaisi majoritarian MPs. Based on the analysis of information provided by majoritarian MP bureaus, it is safe to conclude that voters address them concerning issues that fall within the purview of local self-government and therefore, majoritarian MPs lack means for solving these problems themselves or through their bureaus. Bureaus only register requests and refer them to competent bodies for further actions. Bureaus are established for the length of respective majoritarian MP’s term and their main functions include: receiving citizens, reviewing letters, complaints and appeals of citizens, preparing subsequent findings and proposals for the majoritarian MP’s consideration. The bureau registers, records, examines and takes further actions in response to letters, complaints and appeals addressed to majoritarian MP. It also facilitates meetings of majoritarian MP with constituents. Functions of the bureau also include: facilitating communication of the majoritarian MP with political unions, community organizations and media; providing organizational and technical support. According to the Regulations, within the limits of its competencies the bureaus also cooperates with structural units of the Office of the Parliament, with parliamentary committees, factions and ad-hoc commissions, as well as with local self-governments, institutions and community organizations.18

18 Regulations for Determining the Functions, the Rules of Organization and Activity of the Bureau of MP Elected through Majoritarian Voting System, and [for determining] Rules for Spending Funds Allocated from the Budget of the Parliament for the Bureau, Article 2 VII. Statistics of Meetings with Constituents

According to results of the public attitudes survey published by NDI on April 13, 201419, vast majority of respondents said that there is a minimum communication between constituents and their respective majoritarian MPs. 92% of respondents said that they have never addressed a member of the Parliament or their bureau with any request or concern since the October 2012 parliamentary elections; 97% said that they have never been personally contacted by an MP since the October 2012 parliamentary elections. 58% of respondents don’t know who their majoritarian member in the Parliament is, while 11% provided incorrect answers. 68% of those surveyed don’t know who their majoritarian MP is. Interestingly, 70% of respondent don’t know how to address their majoritarian member of the Parliament. Based on the analysis of information provided to ISFED, majoritarian MPs usually meet their constituents during field visits or in their office, during a non-session week or as needed. Schedule of these meetings varies depending on official travels and schedules of individual MPs. ISFED wanted to determine statistics of meetings of majoritarian MPs with constituents and format of communication. We addressed majoritarian MPs with corresponding questions and received different answers. In particular, information provided by most of the bureaus did not provide a segregated data by types of meetings (meetings during field visits or inside MPs’ office). Most bureaus provided overall numbers or generally stated that the MP meets constituents on a regular basis.

Table 11 Meetings of individual majoritarian MPs with constituents District Number of meetings Nadzaladevi 58 Aspindza 230 Senaki 253 Tsageri 58 Batumi 145 Vani 250 Akhmeta 64 Akhaltsikhe 800 Samtredia 152 Vake 43 Lagodekhi 456 Ninotsminda Information was incomplete Mtskheta 408 Chokhatauri 50 Ozurgeti 6

19 See from p.7: http://www.civil.ge/files/files/2016/NDI-Georgia-March-2016-PoliticalRatings- geo.pdf Dusheti 80 Sachkhere 89 Poti 180 Saburtalo 60 Chkhorotsku Information was incomplete Kharagauli 128 Shuakhevi 250 Kutaisi 49 Keda 324 Ambrolauri Information was incomplete

VIII. Conclusion

Based on the information summarized in this report, it is safe to conclude that the institute of majoritarian MP is no different from proportional members of the parliament, functionally or conceptually. Mobilization of additional resources from the budget to support the work of majoritarian MPs is not oriented on results. Majoritarian MPs are essentially unable to solve local problems and therefore, their functions and competencies are no different from those of proportional members of the parliament. MP bureaus fail to adequately record and maintain statistics of meetings with constituents, to generalize requests/concerns of local population to identify common problems. The only exception is the bureau of Nadzaladevi majoritarian MP that prepares statistics of appeals and concerns of local constituents and records dates of each request/appeal. It is safe to conclude that in Georgian reality the institute of majoritarian MP is ineffective and the practice of its interaction with local authorities is wrong. Because local population usually addresses their majoritarian MPs about issues that fall within the purview of local government there is a serious risk that majoritarian MPs will try to grossly interfere with the work of self-government or use it to advance their political interests.

IX. Recommendations

• It is important to introduce a legal provision that will regulate the number of bureau employees. The law should define the number of bureau employees depending on the number of constituents in the electoral district concerned or other relevant criteria; • The law should establish criteria and procedures for selection of bureau employees and define their salary scale; • The Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Georgia should define reasonable and adequate sanctions for invalid absences of MPs during regular and special plenary sittings; • Detailed information about performance of majoritarian MPs should be published on the website of the Georgian Parliament, including schedule of their meetings with constituents, means of communication with MPs and bureau office hours; • Bureaus should use electronic means of communication with constituents, including websites, and proactively publish information about MP’s meetings and performance. This will facilitate communication of constituents with bureaus and registration/categorization of their appeals.