Ruling party responds to electoral turmoil, moves not to nominate candidates in particular election districts in 2020
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that the 2020 parliamentary elections will be held in a mixed-electoral system anyway. Photo: Georgian Dream press office.
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The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has responded again to ongoing electoral turmoil and stated that 2020 parliamentary elections will be conducted in a mixed electoral system and the “topic is closed.”
However, the party said that it will not nominate its candidates in particular majoritarian districts in the 2020 parliamentary elections and will allow opposition candidates to win the race.
The statement made earlier today comes amid current tension in the country, sparked after the rejection of the GD-proposed election bill on November 14 which offered the transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting 2020 instead of 2024 [as the current state constitution reads].
The opposition, which accuses the ruling party of “deliberately rejecting” the bill, is demanding the 2020 elections be held per the German electoral system, under an interim government.
We have made a decision not to nominate our candidates in the majoritarian districts for 2020 where, apart from the United National Movement opposition party and its affiliated parties, the candidates of other opposition parties or independent candidates will be present, who will have the real chance to win the race,” the ruling party says.
The opposition is demanding the German model for 2020 election, which is a mixed electoral system, but allows parties to have as many MPs in parliament as many votes they receive in the proportional race. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
The GD states that “as usual” the opposition “is cheating people” when it says that the German electoral model does not oppose the current state constitution of Georgia.
The party has responded to the initiative of several, ruling party majoritarian MPs regarding the transition to a fully majoritarian elections, saying that “we have assured the MPs that no new electoral initiative will be discussed for 2020 elections.”
However, the ruling party says that the MPs "will continue work for this initiative" as voters will be able to express their view regarding the election reform either during the voting in the 2020 parliamentary elections or 2021 municipal elections.
The party says that conducting the 2020 elections with a fully proportional electoral system was initiated by the Georgian Dream party.
The opposition has plans to block parliament work tomorrow. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Despite the efforts of the ruling party leaders, unfortunately, the bill has failed to receive mandatory votes [at least 113 votes in the 150-member parliament]. The result came because of natural resistance of majoritarian MPs to the bill and because of destructive actions of the opposition,” the ruling party stated.
The party says that as of now there is no resource to mobilize 113 votes for new constitutional amendments.
Accordingly, the electoral topic is closed and the 2020 elections will be conducted with a mixed-electoral system, in the full line with the highest, democratic standards.”
The party says that “thanks to the efforts of the ruling party alone” in 2017 the country will move to fully proportional elections starting 2024.
The United National Movement and its branches boycotted the process then and now the parties are standing in the streets to create threats for a peaceful and democratic development of the country.”
The ruling party says that it was the United National Movement leadership “which opposed the public will” back in 2008 and increased the number of majoritarian MPs from 50 to 75 and decreased the number of MPs elected in a proportional system from 100 to 75.
Later, in 2010, while discussing constitutional amendments, the United National Movement did not discuss and actually tabooed the issue on the transition to proportional elections,” the ruling party reports.
The opposition is scheduled to hold a rally later today.
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."
A ruling Georgian Dream (GD) majoritarian MP Dimitri Khundadze has offered the country to switch to a fully majoritarian electoral system amid protests in Tbilisi which were sparked by the rejection of the GD-proposed bill on the transition to a fully proportional electoral system from 2020.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has responded to the rally dispersal on Monday and stated that police acted in full line with the law “as irresponsible politicians” made demonstrators violate the law and hamper the work of the legislative body.Gakharia stated that the freedom of expression and assembly is “fully protected in the country” and the government uses force only when demonstrators violate the law.
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.
Representatives of opposition parties and civic activists have resumed demonstrations in downtown Tbilisi aimed to re-block the parliament of Georgia and prevent legislators enter the building tomorrow.
Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has urged opposition MPs, who are now protesting the rejection of an election reform bill on the streets, to return to the legislative body and voice their demands in parliament.