5 opposition parties sign justice reform deal, agree to shut down State Security Service if they win elections
The signatories to the agreement are European Georgia, the United National Movement, Strategy Agmashenebeli, United Georgia and Girchi. Photo: IPN.
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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.
The signatories – European Georgia, the United National Movement, Strategy Agmashenebeli, United Georgia and Girchi – vow to implement ‘key changes in the justice field’ after they win the October 31 parliamentary elections.
The parties claim that the State Security Service, which was separated from the country’s Interior Ministry back in 2015, is a ‘politicized agency’ and must be closed.
Instead the parties offer the creation of a special, anti-corruption bureau.
The agreement introduces the creation of sheriffs’ institutes in self-governments which will be responsible for all crimes only inside the municipalities.
The agreement says that the Prosecutor’s Office must be deprived of the right to supervise the investigation process.
A bill has been registered in parliament per the agreement of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition on March 8.
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 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.’
Georgian opposition parties have named six of eight joint majoritarian candidates for Tbilisi in the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Autumn.
A survey carried out by Transparency International Georgia says that almost half of majoritarian candidates presented by parties in the October 31 parliamentary elections are business owners or are connected with business activities.