Facilitators urge all sides of election agreement to ‘fully abide by’ terms ahead of upcoming vote
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Foreign ambassadors have urged all parties of the March 8 election agreement to ‘fully abide by the terms’ as Georgian parliament will vote on the election bill drafted per the agreement, in its first reading, on Sunday.
The facilitators say that the March 8 agreement was a ‘historic achievement’ and the bill establishes a more proportional electoral system in Georgia for the Autumn elections.
We recognise that differences remain regarding implementation of the Joint Statement portion of the agreement. We underline that the commitments made to address actions that could be perceived as inappropriate politicisation of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes will remain crucial in the period leading to the upcoming elections, and their implementation will continue to be monitored closely,” said the statement released by the EU in Georgia press office.
The facilitators encouraged all signatories to the March 8 agreement to participate in this ‘important vote’ and ensure that the amendments are adopted.
Joint Statement by the Facilitators to the Political Dialogue in view of upcoming voting in the parliament.
— Carl Hartzell (@CarlHartzellEU) June 19, 2020
➡️https://t.co/UPph5zN0mA pic.twitter.com/xNpbiAbRbC
Passage of these amendments, along with pending election reform legislation that incorporates OSCE ODIHR recommendations, will advance Georgia’s progress toward a more representative Parliament and contribute to depolarizing the political environment – achievements that we sincerely believe are in the interest of Georgia’s democracy and the Georgian people,” said the statement.
The Georgian parliament has begun discussing a bill earlier today regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The bill is scheduled to be voted on Sunday in its first reading.
The opposition parties which support the amendments say that they will not vote for the bill as the ruling Georgian Dream party ‘refuses to fully abide by the March 8 election agreement,’ made in the talks mediated by the diplomatic corps.
The united opposition is demanding the release of Giorgi Rurua to vote for the bill.
The opposition says that the last precondition for them to vote for the bill is the release of a co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Giorgi Rurua.
The adoption of the constitutional changes, which is planned for June 29, needs at least 113 votes in the 150-member parliament.
If the opposition refuses to vote for it, the bill may be rejected.
The ruling Georgian Dream party and the united opposition have reached an agreement on holding the upcoming parliamentary elections this October with 120 seats in the legislative body to be distributed via a proportional vote and the remaining 30 via the majoritarian system.
Georgian opposition parties have named six of eight joint majoritarian candidates for Tbilisi in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Autumn.
The Georgian parliament will discuss a bill regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn on Sunday, June 21, in its first reading.
The European People’s Party (EPP) is concerned that the co-founder of Georgian opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua remains in prison, the president of the party and former head of the European Council Donald Tusk said.
With 136 votes in favour and five against, the Georgian parliament has passed an electoral bill establishing a more proportional electoral system in its first hearing today. The bill says that 120 seats in parliament will be distributed based on the votes received in proportional elections, while remaining 30 per the votes received in majoritarian elections.
Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control Amiran Gamkrelidze says that the current epidemiological situation in Georgia will allow for elections to be held, studies to begin and other activities to be expanded.