The Parliament of Georgia approved today the nominees of the Georgian Public Defender and the European Georgia parliamentary minority, Izabella Osipova and Ninia Kakabadze, respectively, as members of the nine-member board of trustees of the Georgian Public Broadcaster.

The European Georgia lawmakers nominated Ninia Kakabadze to the Parliament last month, but the ruling Georgian Dream lawmakers voted down her candidacy with 11 votes in favor and 40 against. The minority legislators resubmitted Kakabadze’s candidacy on March 26, and this time, she was approved with 55 votes in favor and 12 against.

Two more candidates - Zaza Shatirishvili and Besik Liluashvili, who were nominated by the parliamentary majority and the Supreme Council of Adjara, respectively, were approved on March 23.

Three of the seats became vacant upon expiration of the two-year tenures of the nominees of the Georgian Dream majority, the Supreme Council of Adjara and the Public Defender. The fourth seat became vacant after Sulkhan Saladze, who was nominated by the parliamentary minority, quit the board upon his decision.

Three members of the GPB board of trustees are nominated by the parliamentary majority, and three by the parliamentary opposition. Two members of GPB’s board are selected by the Public Defender through competition, and one member is nominated by the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara.