US Congressman Kinzinger ‘applauds’ election deal in Georgia
Kinzinger, who visited Georgia last year, wrote that he is looking forward to visiting the country again. Photo: rollcall.com.
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US Congressman Adam Kinzinger has welcomed an agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 elections, ‘applauding’ the efforts of all parties involved in the negotiations, ‘including Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze and the US Embassy in Georgia under Ambassador Kelly Degnan.’
Democracy is not easy—it’s hard work, but it is undoubtedly worth it. I want to congratulate the Georgian people on achieving the pro-democracy reforms they’ve long fought to achieve. It has been a long road to this agreement, but through compromise and maturity, the necessary steps to secure democracy has finally been reached,” Kinzinger said.
Kinzinger stated that he, as a co-chair of the House Georgia Caucus, is ‘proud to have played a role in navigating through these conversations and I will continue to be available to help ensure Georgia remains an important partner for the United States.’
Full statement on #Georgia 2020 election agreement: https://t.co/DlBHRwUcNt pic.twitter.com/u8rrVP2tnM
— Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) March 9, 2020
The ruling party and the opposition agreed yesterday in talks mediated by the diplomatic corps to hold the upcoming elections in the autumn with 120 seats in the legislative body distributed via a proportional vote and the remaining 30 via the majoritarian system.
The agreement also foresees a ‘fair composition of election districts’, a one per cent election threshold, and a cap recognising that no single party that wins less than 40 per cent of the votes should be able to form a majority in the next parliament.
Find out more about why there was controversy surrounding the 2020 elections here.
US Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is one of several congressmen who sent a letter to Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia over the past several weeks, has tweeted that he had a ‘productive meeting’ with Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze in Washington, adding that he appreciates 'Talakvadze’s effort to visit and discuss the importance of our alliance.’
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze, who is visiting the United States from February 5-10, is holding meetings with US Congressmen. Talakvadze held his first meeting with Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is one of thoe legislators who sent letters to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia with ‘grave concerns’ over political and economic issues in the country.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said in response to the recent letter from the four United States Congressmen that Georgian officials are “always ready” to talk to “strategic partners” of the country. Gakharia, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21-24, responded to the question from a Georgian journalist.
US Congressman Adam Kinzinger has tweeted that he and three other congressmen have sent a letter to Georgian PM Giorgi Gakharia with ‘grave concerns’ over political and economic issues in the country.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has denied the reports of the opposition that per the election agreement yesterday several opposition leaders will be released from prison. Leader of New Georgia opposition party Giorgi Vashadze said that the opposition agreed with the ruling party yesterday that the leader of the European Georgia Gigi Ugulava, who has been convicted for the embezzlement of 48 million GEL state funds,
Several opposition parties adopted a joint statement earlier today, after making an election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party yesterday, stating that despite the agreement on the 2020 elections, the ruling party and the opposition still fail to agree about the status of people ‘detained on political grounds.’
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party says that unlike the opposition it is capable of presenting a new team for the upcoming, 2020 parliamentary elections which is ‘crucial for victory.’
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have congratulated Georgia on the agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections in the autumn.
US Senators Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,and Jeanne Shaheen,a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, have welcomed a recent agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, stating that making the deal will benefit the democratic development of the country.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has denied to participate in parliament's work despite the recent election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party last week, stating that not all conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.