Time in Tbilisi: May 21, 2024 22:02
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.
“We are fulfilling perfectly what we agreed on,” ruling party MP Irakli Kobakhidze said in response to today’s boycott of the opposition United National Movement party to the parliament’s work as the ‘ruling party refuses to fully meet the agreement and release political prisoners.’
It is the right of the opposition to express protest. It is their political right which they can use. However, I do not think that the opposition will also boycott the voting of the election bill in parliament which will be proposed per the agreement last week, as it will be a violation of the agreement,” Kobakhidze said.
He stated that an agreement was reached with the opposition earlier today that there will be eight and not seven election constituencies in Tbilisi.
Kobakhidze said that ‘only technical issues need to be agreed upon’ with the opposition regarding the bill.
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 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.
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have congratulated Georgia on the agreement between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition on how to hold the 2020 parliamentary elections in the autumn.
A bill has been registered in parliament per the agreement of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party and the opposition on March 8.
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.
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.’
The Georgian parliament will renew the election system-related discussions as soon as the state of emergency has ended, Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze stated earlier today.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has urged foreign ambassadors, who mediated election talks between the ruling party and the opposition, to confirm that the Georgian Dream ruling party made no promise to release opposition leaders and members in the March 8 election agreement.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze has urged foreign ambassadors, who mediated election talks between the ruling party and the opposition, to confirm that the Georgian Dream ruling party made no promise to release opposition leaders and members in the March 8 election agreement.
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, who came to an agreement with the ruling Georgian Dream party on March 8 on how to hold the 2020 elections, will resume discussions later today on how to make the government ‘fully abide with the agreement’ and ‘release imprisoned opposition leaders’.
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 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 says that through the passing of the election bill earlier today, ‘Georgia has taken another important step to ensure its European and Euro-Atlantic future.’"The new electoral system which was adopted demonstrates the Georgian Dream's strong will to consistently implement the most important changes for the country, which no other political force has been able to achieve, and which serves to further consolidate a European parliamentary democracy in Georgia,” Gakharia said.
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.
Ruling party MP, former parliament speaker Irakli Kobakhidze says that international observers will be able to monitor the autumn parliamentary elections in Georgia, responding to speculations that the government is ‘deliberately maintaining’ travel restrictions to create obstacles for international observers.