EU ambassador hopes for consensus on election bill, NGOs say bill must pass
EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Harzel says that scrapping the bill may increase tension ahead of the 2020 parliamentary elections.Photo: EU in Georgia press office.
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EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that if Georgian political parties fail to retain consensus on the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill this may “shake trust” between political parties.
Hartzell also says that scrapping the bill, which proposes to move to a fully proportional election system from 2020, might increase polarisation ahead of the elections.
The EU has abstained from voicing an opinion on whether or not a proportional system was the better option for Georgia in view of the 2020 parliamentary elections, since this is primarily the choice of the Georgian people and the political parties. Since summer, however, there has been a political consensus and a joint commitment to work in this direction. Against this background, I see a clear risk that going back on this commitment at this stage would be seen as breaking the trust among the political parties, the trust with wider segments of the population, and to again increase the polarisation in the run-up to the 2020 elections," Hartzell said.
Top Georgian NGOs have urged the Georgian Dream ruling party to “keep its promise” and support the bill.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has expressed his hope earlier today 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.
NGOs have gathered earlier today to urge the ruling party to vote for the bill and the opposition to consolidate its forces for passing the bill. Photo: IPN.
Passing the bill needs at least 113 votes in the 150-member parliament. The Georgian Dream has less than 100 MPs.
Georgian Dream MP Kakha Okriashvili, who opposes the bill, says that about 30 MPs of the ruling party will not vote for the bill.
The vote was meant to have taken place yesterday but was postponed as the ruling party requested a brief delay to hold a party meeting “to assure” that several of its MPs would support the bill.
The opposition, who dislike several parts of the bill, say that they will vote for the bill anyway as they fear that the ruling party may scrap the bill and retain the mixed electoral system for the 2020 parliamentary race.
The opposition has demanded the fully proportional elections for years as the “majoritarian election system favours ruling parties.”
The ruling party accepted the conduct of 2020 parliamentary elections on a fully proportional system amid the June public protests earlier this year, also offering a zero election threshold to calm crowds.
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.
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 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.
The Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Archil Talakvadze explained in details the ruling Georgian Dream party’s bill on holding the parliamentary elections in 2020 with a fully proportional voting system, with zero entry threshold. Talakvadze said with its bill the ruling party aims to make politics more democratic, balanced and calm; reduce polarisation; and leave more space for cooperation and business-like discussions
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.”