Election bill voting postponed, opposition vows rallies if bill is scrapped
The Georgian Dream party’s proposed election bill, which offers Georgia to move to fully proportional elections from 2020, will be voted on tomorrow morning. Photo: Parliament of Georgia press office.
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Voting on a bill proposed by the Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party to change the electoral system to a fully proportional one starting from 2020 instead of 2024 has been postponed as the GD requested this.
The vote will take place tomorrow as the ruling party needs another meeting “to assure” several of its MPs to vote for the bill.
Parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition parties, who fear that the ruling party may scrap the bill and retain the mixed-electoral system for 2020, have announced a meeting later today “to stand together not to allow the GD to throw the bill away.”
The opposition vows that they will take to the streets and the current government will see the “largest protests ever" if the bill is removed.
After the meeting of the ruling party earlier today GD MPs said that “most of our members” support the bill. However, they added that passing the bill will require the opposition’s support.
GD MP Mamuka Mdinaradze has accused the United National Movement opposition party of staging provocations and making incorrect statements which “have made several MPs change their minds about the bill.”
The opposition, which dislikes several notes in the bill, say that they will vote for it anyway “to save it.”
The leader of the United National Movement opposition party Grigol Vashadze (L) says that the government will see rallies if the bill is scrapped. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Participants of the June protests in Tbilisi, who were demanding fully proportional elections which the current government accepted, have announced the launch of rallies starting at 7 p.m. today, in front of the parliament building, “to make the government keep its promise.”
At least 113 MPs of total 150 must vote for the bill for it to be passed. The GD has less than 100 MPs in parliament. GD MP Kakha Okriashvili, who opposes the bill, says that about 30 MPs of the ruling party dislike the bill.
Previous developments
The ruling party accepted the conduct of 2020 parliamentary elections on a fully proportional system amid the June public protests, also offering a zero election threshold.
The opposition, which says that majoritarian elections benefit ruling parties, has welcomed the move to the fully proportional voting system, but said that the zero per cent threshold would divide the opposition and increase the chances of the ruling party winning the race.
The movement Serving the Country, which was formed during the June rallies in Tbilisi, has announced a rally later today to "ensure the bill is passed." Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.age.
The opposition bill, which read that Georgia should have moved to the fully proportional elections starting 2020 with a three percent election threshold and election blocs should be allowed to participate, was rejected yesterday.
What was the system like in the past?
Georgia has had a mixed electoral system with 77 seats in its 150-member parliament allocated proportionally under the party-list among parties or electoral blocs which cleared a five per cent threshold in the race.
The remaining 73 MPs were elected in 73 single-member districts, known as “majoritarian” mandates. A majoritarian MP candidate has to gain more than 50 per cent of votes to take a seat in the legislative body.
The new constitution of Georgia, which was adopted in 2017, and which came into play after last year’s presidential elections, reads that Georgia would move to fully proportional elections from 2024, which is now subject to change.
The Georgian Dream (GD) ruling party says that most of its MPs will vote for the party-proposed bill to transfer to a fully proportional elections in 2020 parliamentary race amid fears of the opposition that the bill may be scrapped. After today’s meeting of the ruling party, chaired by the head and the founder of the Georgian Dream Bidzina Ivanishvili, GD MPs said that Ivanishvili and the “majority” of the party support the bill.
The Georgian parliamentary minority has vowed to support the Georgian Dream ruling party bill on moving to fully proportional elections from 2020 as they fear that the ruling party may reject its own bill and retain the mixed-electoral system for next year's parliamentary elections. The decision of the United National Movement and the European Georgia opposition parties to support the ruling party bill “anyway” comes after the statement of several MPs of the Georgian Dream.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has expressed his hope that MPs “will fully share the responsibility assumed towards democratic development of the country,” and vote for the ruling Georgian Dream party’s proposed election bill, which stipulates a move to a fully proportional election system for 2020 instead of 2024.
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party proposed bill on holding of 2020 parliamentary elections with a fully proportional voting system and a zero threshold has been scrapped as 101 MPs instead of mandatory 113 voted for it. 141 of total 150 MPs have been registered for the vote earlier today. However, 37 abstained from voting and three voted against.
Vice Parliament Speaker of Georgia Tamar Chugoshvili, MPs Irina Pruidze, Giorgi Mosidze, Dimitri Tskitishvili, Tamar Khulordava, Sophio Katsarava and Zaza Khutsishvili have left the Georgian Dream ruling party after the party proposed election bill was scrapped earlier today. The bill which offered the conduct of 2020 parliamentary elections with a fully proportional voting system and a zero threshold has been voted for by 101 MPs instead of mandatory 113 earlier today.
The leader of the European Georgia parliamentary opposition party David Bakradze says that the country is facing a “severe political crisis,” and the “creator of the crisis, the Georgian Dream ruling party will pay for it.”
Demonstrators who participated in the June rallies and the opposition have blocked Rustaveli Avenue in central Tbilisi and announced the “largest rallies ever” after a ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party proposed election bill was scrapped earlier today as many GD MPs refused to vote for it. Members of European Georgia and the United National Movement opposition parties are rallying with them.
Tbilisi City Court has sentenced member of the Shecvale (change) youth movement, Beka Papashvili to five days in administrative detention since he had been arrested at a protest rally near the Tbilisi Parliament building on November 28.
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.
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has accepted cases of Geogian social activists Giga Makarashvili, Zuka Berdzenishvili and Irakli Kacharava who were detained during the November 18 rally dispersal in Tbilisi.