On January 16, the Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary, supported by EWMI-JILEP, met with President Giorgi Margvelashvili to discuss the process of selecting a new Chief Justice to replace Kote Kublashivili whose term comes to an end in February 2015.  The Georgian Constitution gives the President the power to nominate a candidate who then must be approved by Parliament.  During the meeting, Coalition members commended the President for his willingness to consult with different stakeholders before making a nomination.  They suggested that the President’s administration consider developing a procedure and criteria for candidate selection, neither of which exist in current law.  The Coalition suggested that the procedure include creation of an advisory council of legal experts and civil society representatives to assess candidates and provide recommendations to the President.  The Coalition’s objective is to make the process more transparent and merit-based. The President agreed to consider these suggestions and expressed his desire to continue working with the Coalition to develop a fair and rational selection process.