PM Gakharia urges support for election bill, says fully proportional elections essential
Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia says that the ruling party has a “solid position” regarding the election bill which is scheduled to be voted on later today. Photo: government of Georgia press office.
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Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has expressed his hope that MPs “will fully share the responsibility assumed towards democratic development of the country,” and vote for the ruling Georgian Dream party’s proposed election bill, which stipulates a move to a fully proportional election system for 2020 instead of 2024.
[A] proportional election [system] is an essential step for the democratic development of the country and I hope that each MP will fully share in this responsibility when voting,” PM Gakharia stated during today’s governmental meeting.
He stated that proportional elections are an “essential step” for the democratic development of the country and “I hope that each MP will fully share the responsibility assumed towards the democratic development of the country and each citizen of Georgia when voting.”
Gakharia said that the ruling party “has a solid position” on the bill.
We have already stated our position and I will repeat it again that proportional elections with a zero threshold was the will and decision of our political team, which was certainly a response to the urge for accelerated development of democratic process in the country. Nothing has changed in this regard,” Gakhria said.
Parliament is scheduled to vote on the first reading of the election bill later today.
The vote was meant to have taken place yesterday but was postponed as the ruling party requested a brief delay.
The opposition say that they will vote for the bill as they fear that the ruling party may scrap the bill and retain the mixed electoral system for the 2020 parliamentary race.
Voting on a bill proposed by the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party to change the electoral system to a fully proportional one starting from 2020 instead of 2024 has been postponed as the GD requested this. The vote will take place tomorrow as the ruling party needs another meeting “to assure” several of its MPs to vote for the bill.
The Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party says that most of its MPs will vote for the party-proposed bill to transfer to a fully proportional elections in 2020 parliamentary race amid fears of the opposition that the bill may be scrapped. After today’s meeting of the ruling party, chaired by the head and the founder of the Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili, GD MPs said that Ivanishvili and the “majority” of the party support the bill.
The Georgian parliamentary minority has vowed to support the Georgian Dream ruling party bill on moving to fully proportional elections from 2020 as they fear that the ruling party may reject its own bill and retain the mixed-electoral system for next year's parliamentary elections. The decision of the United National Movement and the European Georgia opposition parties to support the ruling party bill “anyway” comes after the statement of several MPs of the Georgian Dream.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze introduced the 10 top issues that the legislators will be discussing during the autumn session, including election and judicial reform, European and Euro-Atlantic integration, parliamentary oversight, state budget for 2020, territorial integrity and anti-occupation policy, environment and ecology, children’s rights, support for business and agriculture.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party proposed bill on holding of 2020 parliamentary elections with a fully proportional voting system and a zero threshold has been scrapped as 101 MPs instead of mandatory 113 voted for it. 141 of total 150 MPs have been registered for the vote earlier today. However, 37 abstained from voting and three voted against.
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that if Georgian political parties fail to retain consensus on the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill this may “shake trust” between political parties.
Vice Parliament Speaker of Georgia Tamar Chugoshvili, MPs Irina Pruidze, Giorgi Mosidze, Dimitri Tskitishvili, Tamar Khulordava, Sophio Katsarava and Zaza Khutsishvili have left the Georgian Dream ruling party after the party proposed election bill was scrapped earlier today. The bill which offered the conduct of 2020 parliamentary elections with a fully proportional voting system and a zero threshold has been voted for by 101 MPs instead of mandatory 113 earlier today.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has made an agreement with its majoritarian MPs who are proposing a fully majoritarian electoral system and announced constitutional amendments before the 2020 parliamentary elections. The party says that after the amendments take place, there will be no demands for a transition to fully majoritarian elections by its MPs.