Justice Minister advocates mixed-electoral system, says Georgia needs majoritarian MPs
Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani said that the United National Movement is a “bankrupt” political party. Photo: Justice Ministry press office.
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Georgian Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani says that Georgia needs a mixed electoral system, “with MPs elected through the majoritarian race and based on party lists, including a reasonable election threshold.”
She says that the electoral system ensures stability in the country.
The statement comes amid public protests in Tbilisi after a bill on electoral reform was rejected, which would have allowed for the transition to a fully proportional electoral system from 2020 instead of 2024 [as the current state constitution reads this].
The ruling Georgian Dream party, which proposed the change, accepted the early transition to fully proportional elections during the June rallies in Tbilisi in the summer to calm crowds.
Demonstrators are demanding a fully proportional electoral system for 2020. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Tsulukiani stated that the United National Movement opposition, which is actively participating in the current protests, “is a bankrupt political force, as a political party which starts by roses [the Rose revolution in 2003] and ends with locks [the demonstrators lock the gates of state bodies] is bankrupt.”
- As of now Georgia has a mixed electoral system with 77 seats in its 150-member parliament allocated proportionally under the party-list among parties or electoral blocs which clear a 5 per cent threshold in the race.
- The remaining 73 MPs are elected in 73 single-member districts, known as “majoritarian” mandates. A majoritarian MP candidate has to gain more than 50 per cent of votes to take a seat in the legislative body.
- The 2020 elections will be held with the help of the mixed-electoral system after the rejection of the bill on November 14, while the country will move to a fully proportional voting system starting 2024.
Ten demonstrators detained during the November 18 rally dispersal in central Tbilisi have been sent to five-13 days in prison for ‘hooliganism and disobedience to police.’
Demonstrators who have been protesting the rejection of the election bill since November 14 have gathered in front of the administration building of the government of Georgia in central Tbilisi earlier today, demanding snap parliamentary elections with the use of a fully proportional electoral system, conducted by an interim government.Protests in Tbilisi were sparked after the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill last week was scrapped.
The leader of the European Georgia opposition party David Bakradze has announced a “large-scale” rally on Monday, November 25 in front of parliament, adding that demonstrators will ‘peacefully block the entrances’ of the legislative body on November 26.He stated that the opposition “is not happy” about blocking the parliament activities. However, “the current state leadership has left no other way."
All 37 individuals who were detained during the November 18 rally dispersal in front of the parliament building of Georgia for hooliganism and disobedience to police have been temporarily released by a Tbilisi City Court judge late yesterday.Discussions around the cases are scheduled to resume later today at the same court.
Law enforcers and emergency brigades are present at parliament in central Tbilisi, as last week the opposition announced “a large-scale rally and the blocking of the work of parliament” on November 25 and 26. The leader of the European Georgia opposition party David Bakradze says that rallies will continue until the current state leadership “takes genuine steps to ease the current tension."