US senators welcome election agreement in Georgia, calling it ‘a critical step’ for democracy
US Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen have released a joint statement to praise the recent election agreement between the ruling party and opposition in Georgia.
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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.
I am very glad to see an agreement reached by all sides of the Georgian political spectrum this weekend, and expect to see its full implementation in the coming weeks and months,” said Risch.
He stated that earlier this year, Senator Shaheen and he wrote to Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia ‘to express our concern’ over recent events in Georgia and ‘advise’ that the Georgian government ‘put an end to democratic backsliding’.
I am pleased to say that this agreement is a critical step towards restoring democracy and good governance in Georgia. As Georgia prepares for parliamentary elections later this year, it is imperative that the agreed upon changes be put into place quickly and honoured by all sides,” he said.
Shaheen stated that she is ‘encouraged to see the Georgian government take the first step in making good on its promise of electoral reforms’.
This is crucial for their nation’s democracy,” Shaheen stated.
She said that since 2012, ‘‘we’ve seen Georgia work diligently to make this democratic transition and they’ve made important progress toward that goal over the last eight years.”
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.
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.’
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.’
The ruling Georgian Dream party and the united opposition have reached an agreement on holding the upcoming parliamentary elections this October with 120 seats in the legislative body to be distributed via a proportional vote and the remaining 30 via the majoritarian system.
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.
The US Department of State has welcomed an agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, stating that is a ‘crucial step towards depolarisation and normalisation of the political environment in Georgia,’ in the run-up to the race.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that it is fulfilling all the conditions of the election agreement made with the opposition last week with the mediation of the diplomatic corps, responding to allegations of the opposition regarding the release of imprisoned opposition leaders and members.
A bill has been registered in parliament per the agreement of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition on March 8.
The delegation of the Council of Europe (CoE), which met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia earlier today, has welcomed the recent agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, the government of Georgia press office reports.
Transparency International Georgia has urged the Georgian Dream government to start discussions as to how to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn in a safe environment amid coronavirus-related restrictions.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has responded to the statement of US Senator James Risch on an agreement between the ruling party and the opposition, stating that there are no political prisoners in Georgia.
Sixty-eight political parties, which are not represented in the current parliament, have appealed to the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) for registration for the October parliamentary elections.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated in his speech for the UN’s 75th anniversary that Georgia ‘has always been and remains to this day a nation committed to Western values, which naturally harmonized Western and Eastern cultures and civilizations on Georgian soil’.