Parliament Speaker: “No reason to question election legitimacy”
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The current Speaker of Georgia’s Parliament and leader of opposition Republican Party, David Usupashvili, says no one should question the legitimacy of the election results.
Usupashvili, whose party received only 1.55 percent of votes and failed to overcome the minimum five percent threshold to get a seat in Parliament, said despite several violations on Election Day, the results of Saturday’s vote accurately reflect the will of the Georgian people.
There are no grounds or reasons why the election outcomes should be described as illegitimate,” he said today.
Preliminary results by the Central Election Commission (CEC) show the Republican Party will not get a seat in Parliament, meaning Usupashvili will be replaced as Parliament Speaker.
Today he said Georgia traditionally had "very good or good” Parliament Speakers and he was sure he would be replaced by "a worthy man or a woman”.
We all should be interested for Georgia to have excellent Presidents, excellent Prime Ministers, excellent Parliament Speakers. This is imperative, necessary for our country,” Usupashvili said.
The Republican Party leader appealed to the leaders of Georgian Dream and United National Movement (UNM), who based on preliminary CEC results, gained the most public votes and would get seats in Parliament.
I appeal to Giorgi Kvirikashvili [leader of the ruling Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia party] and David Bakradze [leader of opposition UNM]. Much depends on you; where the country will go or how political processes in the country develop,” Usupashvili said.
He urged both parties to have positive communication and relations and to avoid any internal unrest, especially when a second round of vote was needed in 50 majoritarian districts.
The top two candidates who gained the most votes will participate in the second round. Looking ahead, candidates from Georgian Dream and UNM will oppose each other in 44 of 50 majoritarian second round votes.
The Republican Party was the member of the Georgian Dream coalition, which defeated the nine-year rule of the United National Movement in 2012 Parliamentary Elections.
Prior to the Parliamentary race the Georgian Dream coalition split, which allowed the Republicans to run separately in the elections.
UPDATED 17:10
The third party, the Alliance of Patriots, has overcome the 5% threshold for entering the ninth Parliament of Georgia, latest preliminary results show. The Alliance of Patriots party currently has 5.00323% of total votes.
"The UK aligns itself with the assessment of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights – and other international monitoring missions – that these elections were competitive, well-administered and generally respectful of the fundamental rights of the people of Georgia,” read the official statement of Sir Alan Duncan today.
Two European Union (EU) top officials say the 2016 Parliamentary Elections in Georgia were "competitive, well-administered and fundamental freedoms were generally respected”.
International Republican Institute (IRI) says yesterday's Parliamentary Elections in Georgia was carried out in peaceful environment and reflected the will of the Georgian voters.
Opposition party United National Movement (UNM) gained the second highest number of votes in Saturday’s Parliamentary Elections but might refuse to participate in a second round of voting.
David Usupashvili, current speaker of Georgia’s Parliament has quit the opposition Republican Party. Usupashvili announced his decision at a special press briefing held in Parliament building this evening.
"A new, better stage is starting in Parliament”, he says
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker and former leader of the Republican Party David Usupashvili, has today said goodbye to his staff working in Parliament, telling them this wasn't goodbye but "see you soon”.
Georgia’s former Parliament Speaker and ex-leader of the opposition Republican Party, David Usupashvili, presented a new, centrist movement today, named Movement for Building.