Majority announces two changes in constitutional draft to meet opposition’s demand

The Georgian Dream ruling party has announced two changes in the constitutional draft, referring to election blocs and the method of sharing of undistributed votes after the parliamentary elections.

A special statement released by Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze says that political parties will be able to create election blocs for the 2020 parliamentary elections, but this will be a one-time permit and will not take place for the 2024 parliamentary elections.

The second change initiates fair sharing of undistributed votes, distribution of the votes received by the parties failing in the elections between the parliamentary parties.

The latter  change will come into play for 2024 parliamentary elections when the country will move to the fully proportional elections, the Parliament Speaker’s statement reads.  

The undistributed votes will be equally shared between the parties which will manage to overcome the 5 percent threshold and take seats in the legislative body,” Vice Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili stated.

Georgia will move to the fully proportional elections from 2024,” Chugoshvili stressed.

She highlighted it was not for the first time when the ruling party took the opposition’s and civil sector’s demands into account.

The whole constitutional reform was carried out with the involvement of the opposition and NGOs,” Chugoshvili stated.

Parliament's Vice Speaker Tamar Chugoshvili stressed the ruling party has ensured the involvement of all actors in the constitutional reform. Photo by Parliament of Georgia press office. 

United National Movement opposition member Roman Gotsiridze stated that the opposition’s key demands were moving to the fully proportional elections from 2020 and not for 2024 and the election of the president by people and not by delegates.

He says opposition’s major demands have not been fulfilled.

• Georgia has a mixed electoral system with 73 lawmakers elected through the majoritarian race and the remaining 77 via the party list system.

The amended constitution, which has already been adopted by parliament with two major readings, says the country will reject the majoritarian elections from 2024.

The majority says the Georgian Dream is the only government in the history of Georgia which made a decision to say no on the type of elections.

The final reading of the constitutional draft is scheduled for September 26, after the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe sends its final recommendations over the draft, which has already been positively assessed in their preliminary report.

The Majority says after discussions in parliament in the coming days the two changes will be added to the draft.