The winter plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has kicked off in Strasbourg. MEPs will hold discussions on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need to renew the international order, the presidential election in Belarus, the parliamentary election in Georgia, the issue of immigration and the aging population in Europe, the problems of mercenaries and private military companies, content on social networks, freedom of speech and other issues. One of the topics will be the fate of the Azerbaijani delegation, which was deprived of its voting rights in PACE a year ago.
The credentials of the Georgian delegation were challenged during the first winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The challenge was initiated by Boriana Åberg, a member of PACE representing the European People’s Party and a Swedish politician, who criticized Georgia’s current political environment.
“Georgian parliament is a one-party parliament with only Georgian Dream in it. Ivanishvili’s regime is demolishing the democratic order in Georgia. This is the reason I challenge the credentials, on behalf of the EPP group, with regard to article A2A in the rules of procedure. I challenge the credentials of the Georgian delegation,” she stated.
As per the Rules of Procedure, such a challenge requires the backing of at least 30 members from five different national delegations. Following a vote, the initiative received sufficient support and was referred to the relevant committee for review. The committee is expected to present its findings within 24 hours.
