No deal on 'German model', opposition to continue protest
Ruling party and opposition met today amid the recent developments in Georgia following the parliament’s rejection of an electoral bill which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting 2020 instead of 2024. Photo: 1TV
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Today's meeting between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and opposition over the current electoral dispute, facilitated by foreign ambassadors accredited in Georgia, has ended without results.
This was the first meeting between the opponents following the parliament’s rejection of an electoral bill which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system.
Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani said after the six-hour meeting that so-called “German model” suggested by the parliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition is “anti-constitutional”.
The Georgian Dream is the team that places the country on the first place and, therefore, it is ready for the dialogue. However, our position that no constitutional changes are possible now, remains unchanged”, Tsulukiani stated.
Opposition representatives find nothing anti-constitutional in the “German model” of electoral system.
United National Movement leader Grigol Vashadze said the protest rallies will continue until their demands are met on holding 2020 parliamentary elections fully proportional instead of 2024 as it is written in the state constitution.
Vashadze said today’s meeting ended without results because the ruling party refused to discuss the electoral model offered by the opposition. Nevertheless, he said, the opposition is ready to continue a dialogue along with protest rallies.
Today's meeting comes amid protests in Tbilisi sparked by the rejection of the election reform bill on November 14. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge
Leader of European Georgia Giga Bokeria also said the protest will continue until the society receives what the ruling party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili had promised them in late June.
Bokeria said, his party is ready to continue the dialogue over the changes in electoral system under the mediation of the foreign partners.
Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze said GD is ready to give time to opposition to continue their protest within the legislation “as they wish”.
Of course, we consider that no political agreement can be achieved that way”, Talakvadze said, noting that a political agreement can be reached only in “political formats”.
One of the organisers of current protest rallies, Shota Digmelashvili said demonstrations will not end, rather “become sharper”.
Diglemashvili considers that civic activists should have also been invited at today’s discussions, because as protests rallies are being organised by them, none of the politicians can promise the government the suspension of demonstrations on their behalf.
NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia James Appathurai said it is important that there be dialogue "to move beyond the current impasse”. Appathurai said he felt “encouraged” by reports of an upcoming meeting between the government and the opposition over the issue.
About 30 opposition parties, including the parliamentary opposition, have presented an ‘adapted version’ of the German electoral model for Georgia’s 2020 parliamentary elections amid protests in Tbilisi sparked by the rejection of the ruling party proposed bill which offered an early transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting 2020 instead of 2024.
The diplomatic corps in Georgia has offered to orchestrate a meeting between the ruling party and the opposition which may take place early tomorrow, former Parliament Speaker, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party MP Irakli Kobakhidze has stated. The EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell says that “he is happy” the meeting will take place.
Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has urged opposition MPs, who are now protesting the rejection of an election reform bill on the streets, to return to the legislative body and voice their demands in parliament.
Acting Ambassador of the United States to Georgia Elizabeth Rood and the Ambassador of the European Union Carl Hartzell welcome the beginning of a dialogue between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and opposition over the recent electoral dispute.
Businessman Mamuka Khazaradze’s new civic movement Lelo, former Parliament Speaker Davit Usupashvili’s Movement for Building and the New Rights party have announced the launch of political cooperation.
The Head of the Council of Europe (CoE) Office in Georgia Christian Urse says that diplomatic corps are now focused on the dialogue between the ruling party and the opposition for the 2020 elections in Georgia as the Georgian constitution allows the transition to a fully proportional electoral system from 2024 and the problems related to election systems will be removed automatically.
The Georgian capital of Tbilisi is hosting the 8th Ordinary Session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (PA) on December 8-10.
The third meeting between the ruling Georgian Dream party and opposition over the electoral changes has yielded no results. The opponents met in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi earlier today to discuss the possibility of moving to a multi-mandate system starting in 2020.
Leader of the European Georgia opposition party Giga Bokeria has been summoned for interrogation by the Prosecutor’s Office for alleged abuse of authority while serving as secretary of the National Security Council under the United National Movement leadership. The Prosecutor’s Office says they have questions on various agreements made by the National Security Council under Bokeria.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition has accused current secretary of the National Security Council Levan Izoria and Interior Minister Vakhtang Gomelauri of ‘concealing a crime’ which involved Izoria’s brother back in 2014, stating that current Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia ‘was also aware of the offence.’