US Ambassador Degnan meets with opposition leaders
Degnan stressed the importance of all sides actively participating in the ongoing political dialogue and wider electoral reform process to address OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. Photo: US Embassy in Georgia.
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US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has hosted opposition leaders in order to discuss Georgia’s political environment today, reports the US Embassy in Georgia.
Degnan stressed the importance of all sides actively participating in the ongoing political dialogue and wider electoral reform process to address OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.
დღეს ელჩმა დეგნანმა ოპოზიციის ლიდერებს გასაცნობად და საქართველოს პოლიტიკურ გარემოზე სასაუბროდ უმასპინძლა.https://t.co/6V7pW233Xi
— U.S. Embassy Tbilisi (@usingeo) February 18, 2020
The OSCE/ODIHR released its conclusion on the Georgian opposition’s electoral bill on February 5, 2020, which reads that it is in the competence of the national courts, and not theirs, to decide whether a bill is in line with the state constitution or not.
The choice of an electoral system, whether it be majoritarian, proportional, hybrid or an alternative system, should be subject to a broad inclusive debate which allows relevant stakeholders to bring forward positive and negative effects of the reform. Any proposed changes have to be carefully considered, including their adoption by a large consensus among political parties”, the conclusion reads.
The opposition offered an adapted version of the German electoral model for the 2020 parliamentary elections. The adapted version distributes seats in parliament per the votes received in proportional voting, after the Georgian parliament rejected the ruling party proposed election bill on early transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting from 2020 instead of the scheduled 2024.
The opposition says that the ruling Georgian Dream party ‘deliberately rejected’ the bill and thus took to the streets in November 2019.
The OSCE/ODIHR has released its conclusion on the Georgian opposition’s election bill which proposes a proportional electoral system for the 2020 parliamentary elections, saying that it is in the competence of the national courts, and not theirs, to decide whether a bill is in line with the state constitution or not.
The parliamentary opposition has announced that demonstrators will block the parliament building in central Tbilisi in February and the opposition will organise ‘intense protests’ against the current state leadership around the issue of 2020 parliamentary elections. “Let’s see how Ivanishvili [founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili] and the current state leadership will resist the protests,” leader of the European Georgia opposition party Giga Bokeria stated earlier today.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has made a new offer to the opposition ahead of today’s meeting, stating that they are ready for 100 spots in parliament to be elected via the proportional electoral system and the remaining 50 per the majoritarian system in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
About 30 opposition parties, including the parliamentary opposition, have presented an ‘adapted version’ of the German electoral model for Georgia’s 2020 parliamentary elections amid protests in Tbilisi sparked by the rejection of the ruling party proposed bill which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting 2020 instead of 2024.