Demonstrators block entrance to parliament building in Tbilisi
The ruling Georgian Dream party MPs urge the demonstrators to stop blocking the parliament building, otherwise the government will act according to the law. Photo: NIno Alavidze/AGenda.ge
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Participants of a protest rally on Rustaveli Avenue in downtown Tbilisi have blocked the entrances to the parliament of Georgia with tents.
Grigol Vashadze of the opposition United National Movement said they will not leave the area.
The demonstrators who protest parliament’s rejection of an electoral bill aimed at moving from a mixed system to a proportional one, plan to continue the protests until their demands are fulfilled.
Photo: Nino ALavidze/Agenda.ge
Meanwhile, the ruling Georgian Dream party MPs urge the demonstrators to stop blocking the parliament building, otherwise the government will act according to the law.
The ruling party-proposed bill aimed to holding 2020 parliamentary elections fully proportional, was scrapped, as only 101 MPs voted for it instead of mandatory 113 in the 150-member parliament.
All of those 40 MPs who either voted against or abstained were from the ruling party, while all of the opposition legislators voted in favour. After the rejection of the bill, a total of 12 MPs, who had voted in favour, left the ruling party.
However, Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia and other ruling party members said that the country will have a proportional system "as we have stated it in the constitution starting 2024".
Opposition and civic activists are holding two parallel rallies protesting the parliament’s rejection of an electoral bill aimed at moving from a mixed system to a proportional one.
The Georgian Interior Ministry announced that police will ensure safety and public order at the protest rallies in downtown Tbilisi today, as well as the freedom of expression of demonstrators. The ministry also said that any violation of the law, including an attempt to storm or block an administrative body, will be resolved by the police within the framework of the law.
Opposition and civic activists are holding demonstrations today amid the parliament’s rejection of the electoral bill aimed to move from a mixed electoral system to a proportional one. Some parliamentary and nonparliamentary opposition parties will gather in front of the parliament of Georgia in downtown Tbilisi at 3 p.m., while another part - at nearby Republic Square at 5 p.m.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia spoke of the importance of a proportional electoral system yesterday, saying it would “qualitatively change” the political culture in Georgia. “We should remember that the country will have a proportional system as we have stated it in the constitution starting 2024”, Gakharia stated.
The US Embassy to Georgia and the EU delegation to the county have released a joint statement amid public protests in Tbilisi triggered by the rejection of an election bill, urging for “immediate work to restore trust through a calm and respectful dialogue between the government and all political parties and civil society with a view to finding an acceptable path forward.”
The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party has refused to discuss any new initiatives regarding the electoral system, responding to the protests in Tbilisi demanding a fully proportional electoral system from 2020. Secretary General of the ruling party Tbilisi Mayor Kakha Kaladze has stated after a party meeting earlier today that the 2020 parliamentary elections will be held with a mixed-electoral system, as parliament rejected the ruling party proposed bill on the move to the fully proportional elections last Thursday.
The leader of the European Georgia opposition party Giga Bokeria has stated that he is surprised by the response of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party to current protests in Tbilisi, as the ruling party accused the opposition of staging provocations and stirring unrest.
The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has called on demonstrators demanding a fully proportional vote for the 2020 elections to stop blocking access to the parliament building. The ministry says that such actions are illegal, and that if the freedom of expression goes beyond the limits set by law, the police will respond appropriately.
Police have given 30 minutes to demonstrators to allow MPs in as the protesters have blocked all entrances of the legislative body starting yesterday, protesting the rejection of the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed election bill on the move to a fully proportional electoral system, the Georgian Public Broadcaster reports.
The Georgian Interior Ministry has used water cannon to disperse the rally in front of parliament in Tbilisi after demonstrators refused to leave the territory and allow MPs in the legislative body. The demonstrators, who are protesting the rejection of an election bill, refused to leave the area within 30 minutes, in the time given to them by the Interior Ministry.