DFWatch staff 
TBILISI, DFWatch–The newly elected parliament mits first session on Friday, and one of its first decisions was to register five factions and the majority and minority.
The Georgian Dream majority consists of 116 MPs. 115 are members of Georgian Dream, which received
TBILISI, DFWatch–The Georgian parliament approved the composition of the new parliament on Friday, and the government now has a caretaker role until lawmakers has approved a new government.
MPs voted to recognize the authority of the ninth parliamentary assembly.
TBILISI, DFWatch–A large, colorful abstract Willem de Kooning painting from one of the artist’s most productive periods was Tuesday sold at Christie’s post-war and contemporary auction in New York. The price: USD 66.3 million.
The Dutch-American artist’s ‘Untitled XXV’ from 1977
TBILISI, DFWatch–A politician for the UNM party in Adjara has refused to serve in the region’s supreme council, echoing a recent decision by Sandra Roelofs, the former first lady, to not take her seat in parliament.
Levan Varshalomidze, former chairman of the Adjara government,
Tbilisi, DFWatch – President Giorgi Margvelashvili said that he wouldn’t tolerate acts directed against state institutions in his welcoming speech on Friday at the opening session of the newly elected parliament.
TBILISI, DFWatch–Israel might begin rejecting asylum requests from citizens of Georgia and Ukraine, Tel Aviv-based newspaper Haaretz reports.
The past two years have seen a surge in asylum requests by Ukrainians and Georgians, as citizens of these countries
TBILISI, DFWatch–Two high officials in Georgia’s Defense Ministry temporarily suspended themselves from their duties on Wednesday, after being accused of abuse of power during the Saakashvili presidency.
Sergo Ninua and George Tsabadze, both lieutenant-colonels
TBILISI, DFWatch–A political party in the former Soviet republic Georgia has launched an unusual campaign to legalize marijuana: If the parliament doesn’t decriminalize the weed by the end of the year, they will plant the narcotic plant in their office on New Year’s Eve.
TBILISI, DFWatch–The National Movement has nominated Sergi Kapanadze as vice speaker of parliament from the minority.
The leader of the parliamentary minority will still remain Davit Bakradze. He was speaker of parliament from 2008 to 2012.
Nika Melia, who was UNM’s candidate
