EU Ambassador: 2020 Elections Will Be Big Test for Georgia

EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell stated that the 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia will be a big test for the country.

The ambassador believes proper thinking and discussion is needed in the country regarding the type of electoral system.

“The electoral system in 2024 has already been defined by the constitution, but talks on the issue by political players is very important,” he said, adding that having proportional representation or a mixed electoral system might be the will of the political players who are in Georgia.

Hartzell noted the election campaign is polarized and less contentious in Georgia.

"It is clear that the conclusions about the last presidential election were disappointing. It is important that the 2020 elections are not only a continuation of this short-term trajectory but change in a positive direction," he said.

Georgian parliamentary elections in 2020 will be mixed- majoritarian and proportional, but from 2024 it will switch to a purely proportional system.

By Thea Morrison