PM Gakharia says 'irresponsible politicians’ are trying to block the state
Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that freedom of expression is fully protected in the country. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has responded to ongoing protests at parliament and stated that ‘irresponsible politicians are trying to block not a particular institution, but the state.”
Even though several irresponsible politicians believe that attacking police, breaking into-parliament or blocking the work of the legislative body is their freedom of expression, we, the state government, fully realise the importance of the democratic development of the country and our response to such actions will be fully in line with the law, full of responsibility to our citizens and reasonable,” Gakharia said.
He has urged ministers to make all possible efforts not to allow the “destructive actions of the opposition” to influence the effective work of state institutions.
The effective work of the state institutions is essential to meet the responsibilities taken before our people,” Gakharia said.
He stated that the “freedom of expression is fully protected in the country."
Demonstrators have tried to block the parliament work earlier today. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Police used iron fences earlier today to block off the streets near parliament in order to prevent demonstrators from disrupting parliament work.
The opposition and civic activists, who have been protesting the rejection of the election reform bill since November 14, had plans to prevent MPs from entering parliament.
Protests were sparked in Tbilisi after the rejection of the ruling Georgian Dream party's proposed election bill on November 14, which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system in 2020 instead of 2024.
40 ruling party MPs refused to vote for the bill, causing its rejection and accusations by the opposition [to the state leadership] of “breaking a promise and cheating people".
The opposition is now demanding the conduct of 2020 parliamentary elections per the German mixed electoral model and by an interim government.
Police have used iron fences to block off the streets near parliament in order to prevent demonstrators from disrupting parliament work. The opposition and civic activists, who have been protesting the rejection of the election reform bill since November 14, had plans not to allow MPs in parliament.
The Georgian parliament has approved candidates for top parliamentary posts earlier today after several MPs of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) quit the party due to the rejection of the GD-proposed election reform bill on November 14. GD MP Gia Volski has been approved as the first vice-speaker of parliament, while fellow MPs of the same party Mamuka Mdinaradze and Giorgi Kakhiani as deputy chairs of parliament.
The BBC, Washington Post and Deutsche Welle have released news on the ongoing Tbilisi protests which were sparked after the rejection of the election reform bill on November 14.BBC has cited campaigners as saying that the current, mixed-electoral system in Georgia favours the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has been in power since 2012.
Police have dispersed a rally near the parliament building at 5 a.m. earlier today. 28 individuals have been detained while three others have received injuries, the Georgian Interior Ministry reports. Law enforcers used water cannons to open the entrances of the legislative body which were blocked by the opposition and demonstrators protesting the rejection of an election reform bill on November 14.
Several opposition MPs from the European Georgia party have submitted statements regarding their exit from parliamentary committees amid protests in Tbilisi sparked by the rejection of the election bill on November 14.
The opposition and civil activists , who have been protesting for two weeks due to parliament’s rejection of the ruling party’s proposed election bill, have announced a 'large rally' at parliament when MPs will be scheduled to vote on a 20-person list of candidates for judge in the Georgian Supreme Court. The opposition, which strongly disapproves of the list, vows the rally will lead to the fulfilment of the demonstrators’ demands.
Six demonstrators have been detained by police earlier today for hooliganism and disobedience to law enforcers at a rally near the National Library in central Tbilisi.