President Zurabishvili signs election bill, calling it a serious step towards democracy, stability
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’. Photo: president.gov.ge.
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The Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has signed the bill of amendments to the election system, calling the constitutional changes a serious step towards democracy and stability.
The Georgian parliament has passed an election bill drafted with the mediation of the diplomatic corps in its third and final reading earlier today.
I would like to thank the parliament, all its members, who supported or did not support the changes, because I am sure everyone actually supports these changes. This is a serious step towards our progress, democracy and stability, and also a serious step towards the election day that awaits us in October”, said Zurabishvili.
President Zurabishvili also talked about pardoning Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili. She noted that she made the decision for the purpose of maintaining stability in Georgia.
I consider myself responsible for doing our best to ensure that we reach election day normally. For this I have taken this serious step. I made this decision because it served the stability of the country, which has been strengthened today”, Zurabishvili said.
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117 MPs voted for and three went against the bill which institutes 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 party said that the opposition’s refusal to participate in the historic vote has once again proved ‘they are destructive’.
According to the new bill, 120 seats in the parliament will be distributed based on the votes received in proportional elections, while remaining 30 per the votes received in majoritarian elections. An election bloc or party which will receive less than 40.54 per cent of votes in the elections will not be able to form a government.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has welcomed the adoption of Georgian constitutional amendments on June 29, calling on the Georgian parliament ‘to honour the will of the Georgian people and the pledge of Georgian officials related to the implementation of internationally recommended election reforms.’
Eighteen opposition parties, who participated in the election talks with the ruling Georgian Dream party mediated by the diplomatic corps, continue to demand the ruling party ‘fully abide’ by the March 8 election agreement and release co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua.
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 United National Movement MP Roman Gotsiridze says that the party will have individual candidates in the regions with some exceptions.
Notes have been added to the Georgia section of the US Fiscal Year 2021 State and Foreign Operations Funding bill, released by the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on July 6.