Servants at Gori Municipal Board and Self-Governments to Be Selected through Competition

Lado Bichashvili, Shida Kartli

13 questions were on the agenda of the Gori municipal board’s session; third question on the list caused particular noise during the discussion; it referred to the approval of qualification requirements for the selection of public officials in the local self-governments through competition. Member of the municipal board Temur Khachiuri complained about the first paragraph of the proposed requirements of the competition, which reads that every citizen, who has reached age 18 and has at least secondary education, can take part in the competition. This fact reminded Khachiuri of a Georgian movie “Groom without Diploma”. 

“You all know Georgian film Groom without Diploma.” Its character Vardeni did not want son-in-law without diploma and why should village have the governor without diploma?” Khachiuri noted.

Chairman of the municipal board Davit Razmadze said these requirements were drafted only for village governors and district governor and majoritarian MP had requested to add this criteria to the list. “In Khashuri case, they made more detailed requirements and wrote that these criteria shall work only for village governors. I think if we go in details, the governor might not even have education but be good manager; so we should vote for both variants.”

Other board members also complained about the issue. They amended the session agenda and cast lot on both versions; none of the board members voted for the village governors “without diploma.”

The commission added and the municipal board approved the following qualification requirements for public servants: 1. Applicant shall have at least two-year working experience. 2. High education, minimum Bachelor’s degree. 3. Applicant shall know Constitution of Georgia, Organic Law of Georgia on Self-Governance and General Administrative Code of Georgia from first to fourth chapter. 4. Computer office programs and internet. 

According to the letter from the Chancellery of the Government of Georgia, employees except district governor and his/her deputies, shall be selected in every public agency through competition. Chairman of the Municipal Board Davit Razmadze was elected to the position of competition commission. The competition shall finish before January 1, 2014.