Parliament was not able to elect a new member of the Constitutional Court after a candidate, nominated by the Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia faction of the parliamentary majority group, failed to garner enough votes on December 25.

Merab Turava, who was deputy chairman of the Supreme Court in 2000-2005, was backed by 69 MPs, seven short of required to be endorsed as a new member of the nine-seat Constitutional Court. Some GD lawmakers complained about possible technical failure in voting system, calling for a repeat vote, but complaints were not deemed valid.

Turava, whose candidacy was presented to lawmakers by a senior GD MP Gia Volski on December 25, was one of those three judges, who in 2005 spoke publicly against what they called was pressure on judges by the authorities. Dubbed by the media as “rebel judges”, they claimed at the time that some Supreme Court judges were forced by prosecutor’s office and Chairman of Supreme Court Kota Kublashvili to file for resignations. After leveling those allegations, Turava and three other members of the Supreme Court were dismissed by the judicial disciplinary commission in December, 2005, accusing them of misconduct.

Three members of the nine-seat Constitutional Court are appointed by the President, three members by the Parliament and remaining three seats are filled by candidates nominated by the Supreme Court.