Dialogue Facilitators Release Statement on Agreement between Political Parties
Facilitators of political dialogue have released a statement on the agreement achieved today between the opposition and the government.
“We congratulate the participants of the political dialogue on today’s successful agreement, which represents a crucial step towards depolarization and normalization of the political environment in Georgia in the run-up to the parliamentary elections later this year.
"Today’s agreement foresees an election system for 2020 based on 120 proportional mandates and 30 majoritarian mandates, a fair composition of election districts, a 1% threshold, and a cap recognizing 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 agreement is accompanied by a joint statement among the sides outlining the agreement and recognizing the wider objective of holding free and fair elections, including the necessity of addressing actions that could be perceived as an inappropriate politicization of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes and of avoiding any such actions in the future.
"We recognize today’s agreement as a stepping-stone on Georgia’s democratic path. We call on all sides to adhere to it and to safeguard its successful adoption in Parliament and subsequent implementation, for the benefit of the people and country of Georgia”, reads the statement.
After four rounds of talks and negotiations that ended without results, representatives of the Georgian government and opposition have reached the agreement on the electoral model.
The above decision was announced this evening after the meeting held at the US ambassador's residence, which was attended by a newly appointed US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan and EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell.
"This is a great benefit for all Georgians," Carl Hartzell said after today's meeting.
He said he was pleased to announce that an agreement had been achieved.
“All parties achieved an agreement, which is reflected in our statement that has already been posted on our website. I want to congratulate everyone that compromise has been achieved”, the Ambassador said.
By Ana Dumbadze
Photo source: Council of Europe Office in Georgia
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