Parliament speaker, Venice commission, ODIHR experts review electoral reform
The meeting focused on the “main initiatives” envisaged by the electoral reform and the process of their development. Photo: Parliament of Georgia
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Georgian parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili on Wednesday discussed the country’s ongoing electoral reform with experts of the Venice Commission and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe office for democratic institutions and human rights.
The meeting focused on the “main initiatives” envisaged by the electoral reform and the process of their development, the parliament press office said.
Initiated as part of the work for fulfilling the European Union conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status, the reform is subject of a joint legal opinion by the Venice Commission and the ODIHR, who have been requested to deliver the document by the country’s parliament.
The final opinion by the two organisations is planned to be ready by mid-December.
Oliver Varhelyi, the European Union commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, on Wednesday tweeted Georgia had made a “very clear message” to the bloc that only EU membership would be considered “strong enough” for long-term peace, stability and prosperity for the country.
The conference of parliamentary committees for union affairs of parliaments of the European Union on Tuesday adopted a declaration welcoming the June decision of the European Council to grant the EU membership candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova and a European perspective to Georgia.
The European Union commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, on Tuesday, discussed Georgia’s European perspective and the 12-point conditions set by the bloc for granting the country the membership candidate status at the meetings with Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili, parliament speaker Shalva Papuashvili and representatives of various parliamentary parties.
Oliver Varhelyi, the EU commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, on Tuesday said national consensus in Georgia was “necessary” for the work on the European Union’s conditions for granting the country the membership candidate status.
A Georgian parliamentary delegation led by speaker Shalva Papuashvili will visit Spain and Portugal between Monday to Saturday for high-level meetings with MPs of the countries.