Saakashvili Responds to Government’s Decision on Proportional Elections

Former President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, commented on the Georgian Government’s decision to fulfill the public demand and hold parliamentary elections with a proportional electoral system in 2020.

"Whoever agrees to this is either an absolute fool, or has been bribed”, Saakashvili said in his video address.

He claims former Prime Minister of Georgia Bidzina Ivanishvili's decision to hold the 2020 elections through a proportional electoral system should be answered with demonstrations throughout the country.

In addition, according to the former President, holding elections with zero barrier in 2020 means that Ivanishvili will be able to bribe small political parties.

“Ivanishvili is panicking. Whoever agrees to this offer is either an absolute fool or has been bribed. Now, the main demand is that he should fire Interior Minister Giorgi Gakharia, immediately conduct snap parliamentary elections with a proportional electoral system, release the people detained on June 20, replace bribed Tamar Zhvania (Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Georgia), bring international observers and hold new elections. All the rest is an attempt to implement the dishonest scheme of Georgia’s big enemy – Bidzina Ivanishvili”, Mikheil Saakashvili stated.

The Georgian government has agreed to hold proportional parliamentary elections in Georgia in 2020, Bidzina Ivanishvili, former Prime Minister of Georgia, stated at the briefing held at ruling party Georgian Dream’s office today.

The holding of snap parliamentary elections with the proportional electoral system was one of the main demands of the participants of the peaceful demonstrations held in front of the Parliament building since June 20. 

Georgian Dream members had been holding consultations since morning to discuss the demands of the protestors.

By Ana Dumbadze