United National Movement opposition boycotts parliament despite making election deal
The United National Movement continues to say that the ruling party agreed to release ‘political prisoners.’ Photo: 1TV.
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The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has denied to participate in parliament's work despite making an election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party last week, stating that not all of the conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.
UNM MP Roman Gotsiridze says that the ruling party refuses to fulfil the section of the election agreement which concerns the ‘release of political prisoners.’
We return in parliament only after the political prisoners are released,” Gotsiridze said.
The ruling party denies any agreement with the opposition on the release of imprisoned opposition leaders and members, stating that the country has no political prisoners and has invited European Parliament members to look into the cases.
A bill on the election issue will be initiated in parliament later today which reflects the agreement between the ruling party and the united opposition on March 8 in talks mediated by the diplomatic corps.
US Senators Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,and Jeanne Shaheen,a ranking member of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, have welcomed a recent agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, stating that making the deal will benefit the democratic development of the country.
Several opposition parties adopted a joint statement earlier today, after making an election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party yesterday, stating that despite the agreement on the 2020 elections, the ruling party and the opposition still fail to agree about the status of people ‘detained on political grounds.’
US Congressman Adam Kinzinger has welcomed an agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 elections, ‘applauding’ the efforts of all parties involved in the negotiations, ‘including Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze and the US Embassy in Georgia under Ambassador Kelly Degnan.’
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 has welcomed an agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, stating that is a ‘crucial step towards depolarisation and normalisation of the political environment in Georgia,’ in the run-up to the race.
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.
A bill has been registered in parliament per the agreement of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition on March 8.
Besik Tamliani, who stands charged with violence and disobedience to police during the June protests in Tbilisi last year, has been refused bail.
Co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the monitoring of Georgia, Titus Corlatean and Claude Kern, have stated that the March 8 election agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition ‘offers a window of opportunity for Georgia’s democratic consolidation.’
Twenty-six opposition parties and one independent MP have released a joint statement earlier today in which they urged the country’s foreign partners ‘to remind’ the ruling Georgian Dream party ‘how important it is to fully fulfil the March 8 election agreements’ with the opposition.
A Lithuanian politician and member of the European Parliament Andrius Kubilius has urged the Georgian Dream government to abide by the March 8 election agreement with the opposition, and raised concerns regarding the recent conviction of several opposition leaders and members.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia says that the placement of the ruling party and the opposition March 8 election agreement at any risk is ‘absolutely unacceptable’, responding to the opposition’s allegations that the Georgian Dream ruling party refuses to fully abide by the agreement.
Foreign ambassadors in Georgia, who have been working as facilitators in the dialogue between the government and opposition on 2020 election model, on Monday responded to calls to confirm contents of the March 8 agreement between the two parties by calling on them to "uphold" the deal.
Georgian opposition parties have released a joint statement earlier today expressing hope that the co-founder of opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi will be released soon, ‘like the recently pardoned opposition leaders Gigi Ugulava and Irakli Okruashvili.’
Public discussions of the election bill which was drafted per the March 8 ruling party-opposition agreement, will kick off on June 4, at 10 a.m. via the Georgian Public Broadcaster.
The United National Movement opposition (UNM) says that ‘as the biggest opposition party’ they will not nominate candidates in six of eight majoritarian constituencies in Tbilisi, allowing other opposition candidates, from the united opposition, ‘to win the race.’
The Georgian parliament will discuss a bill regarding the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn on Sunday, June 21, in its first reading.
The Georgian parliament has passed the election bill in its second reading earlier today, with 115 MPs in the 150-member parliament voting in favour. The United National Movement and the European Georgia opposition parties, who support the amendments, refused to participate in the vote as they demand the release of co-founder of opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua.
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.
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 Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has reiterated that the case of the co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua ‘has nothing to do with politics’ and it is the judiciary which makes decisions on criminal cases.
The co-founder of the opposition-minded TV channel Mtavari Arkhi Giorgi Rurua was found guilty for the illegal possession and carrying of firearms and has been sentenced to four years in prison by Tbilisi City Court earlier today.