The ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party will name Nino Lomjaria, former deputy head of the State Audit Office, as new Public Defender, Georgian Parliamentary Chairman Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters on November 24.
 
“We have taken into consideration the experience, qualification and impartiality criteria and ultimately, the ruling majority made its choice in favor of Nino Lomjaria,” Kobakhidze said, adding that her candidacy had been selected through consultations with civil society organizations.
 
Nino Lomjaria was one of the four candidates proposed by CSOs to the Parliamentary Chairman on November 23. Three other candidates were: Ana Natsvlishvili, head of the Georgian Young Lawyers Association; Vakhushti Menabde, associate professor at Ilia State University; and Zviad Koridze, chairman of the Presidential Pardon Commission.
 
The Public Defender, who monitors the protection of human rights and freedoms, is elected by a majority vote in parliament for a term of five years. Only a parliamentary faction, as well as a group of at least six lawmakers, who do not belong to any faction, is eligible to nominate a candidate for the Public Defender.
 
Irakli Kobakhidze said the Parliament would elect the new Public Defender next week.
 
Nino Lomjaria served as the Deputy Head of the State Audit Office from November 2016 till October 2017. Earlier, she was the head of Georgia’s largest election monitoring group, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED).
 
The five-year term of Ucha Nanuashvili, incumbent Public Defender, expires on December 7.