Ruling party: agreement may be reached with opposition during 3rd round of negotiations
Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze says that the opposition parties are trying to mobilise their voters. Photo: Irakli Kobakhidze’s press office.
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Executive Secretary of the ruling Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze says that some agreement may be reached with opposition parties during the third round of negotiations which is being mediated by foreign ambassadors.
There will not be any concessions (by the ruling party). It is about the joint steps which will be made by the ruling party and the opposition,” Kobakhidze stated earlier today.
The eight opposition parties, which entered parliament following the October 31 elections, took to the street shortly after the race.
They say that the elections were fabricated and are demanding repeat elections.
Opposition leaders urged their voters yesterday not to vote in the run-offs. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
Opposition candidates have refused to participate in the run-offs. However, per the election code, their names remain on ballot papers and voters are able to vote for them.
Kobakhidze says that opposition parties are ‘actively, not-openly, trying to mobilise their voters to vote’ in the run-offs.
However, opposition leaders claim that they have already urged their voters not to participate in the second round of elections.
Foreign ambassadors are mediating talks between the ruling party and the opposition to help bring about an end to the political crisis.
Two meetings have already been held with no results.
The US and EU ambassadors held individual meetings with opposition parties yesterday, prior to the third round of the meetings.
Election run-offs are held in 17 election constituencies in Georgia today, as well as a snap election of Kutaisi mayor. The second-round of elections are conducted as none of majoritarian candidates in the 17 constituencies and for Kutaisi mayor were able to receive at least 51 per cent of votes in the first round of elections on October 31. All polling stations were opened at 8 a.m. around the country except two polling stations in Gudauri and one polling station in Shatili due to bad weather.
The eight opposition parties who entered parliament following the October 31 parliamentary elections still remain united in that they will not participate in the second round of elections in 17 election constituencies tomorrow and will not take up their mandates in parliament. However, the opposition parties stated earlier today that ‘no rallies’ will be held tomorrow.
Opposition parties which have refused to enter the parliament following the October 31 elections have held a rally in the centre of Tbilisi amid US State Secretary Mike Pompeo’s visit to Georgia earlier today.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia, who has cast his vote in the election run-offs earlier today, has stated that the government and the opposition must learn to work together to benefit the country.
A total of 177,462 people (8.29% of eligible voters) have cast ballots in the second round of Georgian parliamentary elections as of 12 p.m. today. Meanwhile, voter turnout was 19.41% at 12 p.m. during the first round of parliamentary elections on October 31.
The head and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili says that some political parties are ‘very emotional and ambitious. However, I think that common sense prevails and we will have a multi-party parliament [in the end].’
Opposition politicians - who have qualified for today’s run offs - call on their supporters not to head to polling stations today claiming the October 31 parliamentary elections were falsified. The opposition has unanimously declared their unwillingness to participate in the second round of the elections even though their names remain on the majoritarian ballot papers per law.
Noting that the European Union ‘strongly supports democratic processes and the respect for legal frameworks’ the EU delegation said ‘Georgia needs a functioning parliament as the central forum for political debate, with all parties working together to advance reforms, in line with our mutual commitments under the Association Agreement’.
The ruling Georgian Dream party and the leaders of eight opposition parties and blocs who were voted in during the October 31 parliamentary elections have held a third meeting with the mediation of foreign ambassadors earlier today to find a way out of the current political crisis. The opposition leaders who say that the elections were fabricated and refuse to take up their mandates described the meeting as ‘positive and useful, as several issues have been agreed.’