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Analytical Documents
Pre-election Programs of the Parties on the Issues of Justice - 2020
Introduction
The document analyzes the visions / pre-election programs on justice issues of the political parties participating in the 2020 Parliamentary Elections. More specifically, the document discusses the parties' visions and strategies in relation to the judicial reform, gaps in the law enforcement, reform of the State Security Service, and drug policy.
A general theme is the lack of reasoned, realistic, and concrete ideas on the issues listed. While systemic problems in the courts and law enforcement bodies are constantly at the top of the political agenda, political parties only list the major areas they intend to work on in the newly convened parliament. These visions are not substantiated with detailed plans, which would define their implementation time period, as well as indicate the needed human and financial resources. In addition, the presented plans are in some cases fragmented and a number of important issues are missing altogether. For example, on the subject of the judiciary, none of the political entities talk about the issues of judges already appointed for life at the Supreme Court, less emphasis is placed on the reform of the Constitutional Court, and the issue of access to justice is largely ignored. The future of the Prosecutorial Council, which should be the guarantee of the independence and efficiency of the Prosecutor's Office, in the current constitutional arrangement, has been left out of consideration. It is particularly worrying that the party programs mostly ignore the issue of drug policy, even though the existing policies continue to be repressive and unjust, and many citizens continue to be subjected to disproportionately harsh sentences for drug offenses.
The Georgian Dream deserves special criticism, as its pre-election program is largely general and it is impossible to identify specific visions or plans in the program. In exceptional cases, the party program speaks of fragmented areas, such as timely and high-quality administration of justice in civil and administrative disputes, and the party program fails to address fundamental issues in the area of justice. It is clear that the Georgian Dream is simply choosing a strategy of non-recognition of the problem, and this approach extends to challenges in both the judiciary and the law enforcement as well as the State Security Service.
