GEORGIA: MAJORITY NAMES LIKELY SUCCESSOR TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TBILISI 001408 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/31/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: MAJORITY NAMES LIKELY SUCCESSOR TO OMBUDSMAN POSITION TBILISI 00001408 001.3 OF 002 Classified By: Ambassador John F. Tefft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (SBU) Summary: The United National Movement (UNM) has nominated Giorgi Tugushi to replace Sozar Subari as ombudsman. As the ruling party's candidate, Tugushi's confirmation by Parliament is all but guaranteed with a vote expected on July 31 (although it had not taken place by COB). Although not a known public figure, Tugushi's resume appears to be a solid fit for this position of independent auditor and human rights advocate. Because of Tugushi's well established reputation among NGOs and his solid academic background and work experience, the choice has elicited little public reaction. The parliamentary opposition's candidate for the position, MP Dimitri Lordkipanidze, is not expected to garner much support. Popular current ombudsman Sozar Subari is keeping quiet on what he will do next, but with his high approval ratings and open political ambitions, speculation is that he will enter the political fray in some manner, presumably as part of one of the political forces in opposition to President Saakashvili. Subari has stated publicly that both Tugushi and Lordkipanidze would both be well qualified successors. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Comment: The UNM's naming of Tugushi as the nominee for the office of Ombudsman appears to have been a smart political move, as his candidacy is supported by all sides. Privately, NGO leaders and other commentators give Tugushi high marks, but worry that his experience as may not have fully prepared his to be a "street level" defender of human rights. The Ombudsman's role under Subari's tenure shifted from its traditional strictly neutral arbiter role to one that mixed support for human rights and individual Georgians with a health dose of opposition to the GoG and the UNM. However, based on recent polling, it appears that the Georgian public largely approved of the openly political role Subari played. No matter how Tugushi chooses to orient the Ombudsman's office, he will likely be the target of criticism, either from the GoG who tired of Subari's open political role, or from the opposition and opposition-minded voters who considered Subari as an essential counterweight to what they viewed as GoG excess. End Comment. WHO IS THIS GUY? ¶3. (SBU) While not a household name, Tugushi is well-known in NGO and human rights circles. Currently Tugushi works for an EU-funded project designed to support the Ombudsman office, making him intimately familiar with the work of the Ombudsman and its staff. He is a member of the Council of Europe's Anti-Torture Committee, was a human rights officer for the OSCE Mission in 2004, and worked as legal expert for the UN Development Program in 2003. His resume includes a stint as a senior legal expert at the Urban Institute/USAID office between 2000 and 2002 and time as the chief of staff for the Tbilisi City Council Chairman from 1999-2000. His degrees include an LLM in international human rights law from the University of Lund in Sweden and a master's degree in public administration from the Institute of Public Affairs in Tbilisi. During a recent television appearance Tugushi seemed confident and self assured. In a statement to Parliament he said, "(t)he Ombudsman should be impartial, independent, and principled." Tugushi has already announced that if elected, his priority as Ombudsman will be the treatment of prisoners. NGO'S LIKE HIM BUT DOES HE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PRESS THE QNGO'S LIKE HIM BUT DOES HE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO PRESS THE GOVERNMENT? ¶4. (C) Eka Siradze-Delaunay (International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy),Keti Khutsishvili (Open Society Georgia Foundation),and Tamar Khidasheli (Georgian Young Lawyers Association) told Poloffs that they liked and respected Tugushi. All were of a similar opinion that Tugushi was a very intelligent and capable person who was an expert on human rights issues. Similarly, all were concerned that he might not prove to be as forceful an advocate for human rights as was currently necessary. Khutsishvili, Siradze-Delaunay, and Khidasheli all expressed disappointment that neither the UNM nor the parliamentary opposition consulted them about the picks, but they were not disappointed in the picks themselves. All were encouraged by Tugushi's openness and willingness to attend an NGO scheduled roundtable to discuss human rights issues. Setting such a short timeframe from nomination to confirmation concerned NGOs and opposition members alike. Parliamentary Minority Leader, Giorgi Targamadze (CDM) asked to postpone the vote to allow for more public debate on the nominees, but the majority rejected the proposal. The non-parliamentary opposition, for its part, has remained largely silent on the issue. Team Leader for the EU project to support the public defender's office Pamela Fahey, who has worked with Tugushi, TBILISI 00001408 002.3 OF 002 was thrilled with his nomination and specifically stated to Poloff that they (the EU project) did not support the opposition candidate for the position. THE UNDERDOG ¶5. (SBU) The parliamentary minority put forth MP Dimitri Lordkipanidze as their own candidate for the position. Lordkipanidze is a lawyer with experience as a human rights defender and is himself a member of the parliamentary opposition from the "On Our Own" party. He declared the issue of illegal imprisonment as his own top priority if elected to the office. Parliamentary opposition leader Targamadze said that "(i)f he (Lordkipanidze) loses it will be clear that the majority is not ready to support an opposition candidate." However, Targamadze also stated publicly that he has no personal objection to the majority party candidate. Despite being the opposition candidate, Lordkipanidze garnered boos from civil society members when he stated at an NGO roundtable that homosexuality should be punishable under the criminal code. His statement will likely diminish his already meager support even among the MPs who nominated him. At the same roundtable, Tugushi stated his view that discrimination based on sexual orientation was "completely unacceptable." WHAT'S NEXT FOR SOZAR? ¶6. (C) Subari has refrained from taking sides and hailed the qualifications of both candidates. What the highly popular Subari will do next is unclear, but speculation is he will enter politics in his own right or work for an NGO. Khutsishvili said she doubted that Subari had decided on what he would do next. Siradze-Delaunay, Khidasheli and Khutsishvili praised Subari for his work but questioned whether his confrontational and public style had hindered his overall effectiveness. All said that they would like Tugushi to play a more understated public role that would help de-politicize the office while possibly increasing the Ombudsman's effectiveness in holding the GoG accountable. TEFFT