Opposition parties agree not to form coalition with ruling Georgian Dream party
The leaders of the political parties said this is ‘an unprecedented agreement’ by which opposition politicians also agree that the opposition should stand together against the current government. Photo: on.ge.
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Opposition political parties have agreed not to form a coalition government with the ruling Georgian Dream party after the parliamentary elections tomorrow if the ruling party receives less than 40 per cent of votes in the proportional elections. Per the constitutional amendments earlier this year none of parties will be able to form the government alone if they receive less than 40 per cent of votes in the proportional elections.
The agreement was signed today in the office of the Labor Party.
The leaders of the political parties said this is ‘an unprecedented agreement’ by which opposition politicians also agree that the opposition should stand together against the current government.
The joint statement of the opposition political parties reads that Bidzina Ivanishvili’s eight-year oligarchic governance has significantly weakened Georgia’s democratic institutions, damaged the country’s strategic economic prospects, including the construction of the Anaklia deep-water port and has prevented western investors from entering the project.
The statement also reads that the current government weakened Georgia’s negotiations with Russia on the country’s de-occupation issues.
The signatories to the agreement are Strategy Aghmashenebeli, Girchi, European Georgia, European Democrats, Law and Justice (Tamar Charkviani), United Georgia (Nino Burjanadze), United National Movement, Labor Party and Republican Party.
The ruling party says they will not need the coalition as they will receive at least 60 per cent of total votes.
Responding to the issue Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia said the Georgian Dream party will do its best not to need a coalition this time around.
They [opposition politicians] who were fighting for a more proportional electoral system are coming out today and saying that they will not form a coalition government with the largest force in the country. This is a complete inconsistency”, said Gakharia.
On October 31 Georgia will hold its parliamentary elections in a different manner – 120 seats in parliament will be distributed based on votes received in proportional elections, while remaining 30 per the votes received in majoritarian elections.
Previously 77 seats in its 150-member parliament were allocated proportionally, under the party-list system, while the remaining 73 MPs were elected in 73 single-mandate constituencies.
On election day Georgian citizens will elect mayors in five municipalities and City Council (Sakrebulo) MPs in four municipalities as well.
10,845 people in self-isolation or coronavirus hospitals are registered to vote in tomorrow’s elections.
On election day the European diplomatic watch will assemble no less than 70 teams and visit some 1000 polling stations on election day throughout the country, said EU ambassador Carl Hartzell.
Mobile police groups have been created in every region of Georgia in order to ensure a free, secure and peaceful environment on election day on October 31. The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) says that if necessary, the mobile groups are obliged to instantly react to offences during the elections.
US Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Jim Risch and Senator Jeanne Shaheen have made a joint statement ahead of the October 31 parliamentary elections in Georgia, noting the importance for all political parties in the country to respect and abide by international standards for a free and fair electoral process.
Georgians are heading to the polls today to elect the country’s 10th national legislature since independence from the Soviet Union back in 1991. For the first time, the elections will be held per a mixed electoral system, with 120 members of parliament (MP) to be elected via party lists and the remaining 30 running in single-member majoritarian districts.An election bloc or party which receives less than 40.54 per cent of votes (less than 76 seats in the 150-member parliament) in the proportional elections will not be able to form a government.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has cast her vote in central Tbilisi earlier today, stating that ‘today, we all vote to build a dream country - a democratic, European state.’