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.
The United National Movement (UNM) opposition party has denied to participate in parliament's work despite the recent election deal with the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party last week, stating that not all conditions of the agreement have been fulfilled.
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.’
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 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.
The US Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices says that the ‘unlawful or arbitrary deprivation of life by Russian and de facto authorities in the Russian-occupied Georgian regions’ is a ‘significant human rights issue.’
The delegation of the Council of Europe (CoE), which met with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia earlier today, has welcomed the recent agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections, the government of Georgia press office reports.
Besik Tamliani, who stands charged with violence and disobedience to police during the June protests in Tbilisi last year, has been refused bail.
Transparency International Georgia has urged the Georgian Dream government to start discussions as to how to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections in the autumn in a safe environment amid coronavirus-related restrictions.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has responded to the statement of US Senator James Risch on an agreement between the ruling party and the opposition, stating that there are no political prisoners in Georgia.