US Department of State: election agreement in Georgia is ‘crucial step forward’ towards depolarisation
The US embassy in Georgia was one of the key mediators in the election talks between the ruling party and the opposition. Photo: Win Mcnamme/Getty Images.
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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 agreement of the Georgian political dialogue participants is a crucial step towards depolarization and normalization of the political environment in Georgia in the run-up to the parliamentary elections later this year. https://t.co/KRyzbsTsvQ
— Department of State (@StateDept) March 9, 2020
In the talks mediated by the diplomatic corps on March 8, 2020, the ruling party and the united opposition reached an agreement on holding the upcoming parliamentary elections this autumn with 120 seats in the legislative body to be distributed via a proportional vote and the remaining 30 via the majoritarian system.
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The agreement also foresees a fair composition of election districts, a 1% threshold, and a cap recognising that no single party that wins less than 40% of the votes should be able to get its own majority in the next parliament.