Election bill drafted with mediation of diplomatic corps passes in final reading, opposition absent
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The Georgian parliament has passed the election bill drafted with the mediation of the diplomatic corps in its third and final reading earlier today.
117 MPs voted for and three went against the bill which will institute a more proportional electoral system for this autumn’s parliamentary elections.
The United National Movement and European Georgia opposition parties refused to participate in the vote, stating that with the continued incarceration of the co-founder of opposition-minded TV channel Giorgi Rurua, the ruling party ‘did not fully abide by the March 8 election agreement.’
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that all its 92 MPs voted for the bill in the 150-member parliament. Photo: parliament of Georgia press office.
The final vote was preceded by the opposition’s critical statement of the German ambassador who said that ‘Rurua was not mentioned’ in the March 8 election agreement which was mediated by the diplomatic corps.
Opposition leader Shalva Natelashvili accused the ambassador of ‘being bribed by the ruling party head Bidzina Ivanishvili,’ while the United National Movement MP Salome Samadashvili said that the ambassador ‘has made several diplomatic mistakes.’
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The opposition which supported the constitutional amendments refused to vote for the bill because of Rurua. Photo: 1TV.
The ruling party says that the opposition’s refusal to participate in the ‘historic vote’ was a violation of the March election agreement.
The Georgian Dream MPs stated that the opposition ‘has once again proved they are destructive.’
- Read more about the political crisis which preceded the March 8 election agreement.
The ruling Georgian Dream party says that it is fulfilling all the conditions of the election agreement made with the opposition last week with the mediation of the diplomatic corps, responding to allegations of the opposition regarding the release of imprisoned opposition leaders and members.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has denied to participate in parliament's work despite the recent election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party last week, stating that not all conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.
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.
The denial came several hours before the ‘historic vote’ of election bill in parliament today which proposes a more proportional electoral system for the autumn parliamentary elections, per the ruling party and the opposition March 8 election agreement.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that through the passing of the election bill earlier today, ‘Georgia has taken another important step to ensure its European and Euro-Atlantic future.’"The new electoral system which was adopted demonstrates the Georgian Dream's strong will to consistently implement the most important changes for the country, which no other political force has been able to achieve, and which serves to further consolidate a European parliamentary democracy in Georgia,” Gakharia said.
Foreign ambassadors who facilitated the election talks between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition, resulting in the March 8 election agreement, have welcomed the adoption of the election bill in its third and final reading earlier today.
The US Department of State and the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Georgia, have welcomed the ‘historic adoption’ of constitutional amendments by the Georgian parliament earlier today.
MEP Marina Kaljurand, who chairs the delegation to the EU-Georgia Parliamentary Association Committee, and the European Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Georgia MEP Sven Mikser have welcomed the adoption of the Georgian election bill yesterday, stating that the passing of the constitutional amendments is ‘an important milestone in the development of Georgia’s democratic life.’
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell Fontelles, has welcomed the adoption of the constitutional amendments by the Georgian parliament yesterday.
The Georgian parliament is discussing amendments to the country’s electoral code which come following the adoption of the election bill on June 29.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the historic political process of adopting constitutional amendments to Georgia’s electoral system ‘must culminate in democratic, transparent elections.’
The EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell has welcomed amendments to the Georgian election code, which were passed in their third and final reading yesterday.
Sixty-eight political parties, which are not represented in the current parliament, have appealed to the Georgian Central Election Commission (CEC) for registration for the October parliamentary elections.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has nominated all 30 of its majoritarian candidates for the upcoming October parliamentary elections, both for the eight constituencies of the capital Tbilisi and the regions. The elections in the autumn will be held in a different manner, with 120 MPs elected per the party-list based electoral system and the remaining 30 per the majoritarian electoral model. Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said that the elections will be held ‘in full line with democratic standards and Georgian Dream will celebrate a victory in a fair fight.’
US State Secretary Mike Pompeo and Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia have spoken on the phone and discussed a range of issues, including the October parliamentary elections, Georgia’s ‘effective response’ to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s redoubled occupation efforts during the pandemic.The phone conversation yesterday was held due to the postponement of the US-Georgia Strategic Partnership charter session due to the pandemic, with the officials expressing hope the session will take place by the end of the year.
Five Georgian opposition parties have signed an agreement on a justice reform earlier today which includes the shutting down of the State Security Service, the Interior Ministry decentralisation and cutting the rights of the Chief Prosecutor’s Office.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has stated in his speech for the UN’s 75th anniversary that Georgia ‘has always been and remains to this day a nation committed to Western values, which naturally harmonized Western and Eastern cultures and civilizations on Georgian soil’.