GD & Opposition Agreement Named Important Step to Democracy by Major Intl' Allies

Facilitators of the dialogue between Georgia’s political parties released a statement on the agreement achieved between the opposition and the government on Sunday March 8.

“We congratulate the participants of the political dialogue on [Sunday’s] successful agreement, which represents a crucial step towards the 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 on March 8 reached the agreement on the electoral model.

The above decision was announced after a 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," Hartzell said after the meeting. “All parties achieved an agreement…I want to congratulate everyone that a compromise has been achieved,” the Ambassador said.

The US Embassy to Georgia released the text of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the opposition and the government, expressing pleasure that the participants of the political dialogue reached a successful agreement, which is "an important step in the run-up to the parliamentary elections."

“The undersigned parties agree to support changes to the election system based on the following draft text of the Constitution’s transitional provision defining the rules for the 2020 Parliamentary Elections,” the MoU reads.

"The elected Parliament shall consist of 120 members elected through the proportional system and 30 members elected through the majoritarian system. The electoral threshold for proportional elections shall be set at 1%.

"A capping mechanism will define that no single party that receives less than 40% of the votes cast is allowed to receive a majority of seats in the Parliament. Further caps and provisions will be introduced in the legislation with the aim of facilitating a more proportional distribution of mandates relative to the votes received by the parties.

"The 30 electoral districts will be drawn in compliance with the relevant ruling of the Georgian Constitutional Court and the Venice Commission recommendation, suggesting that the deviation from the average electorate size of districts should not exceed 15%. Preference should always be given to creating districts within the same region unless the distribution of the electorate requires otherwise. Up to three limited exceptions from the above districting rules can be introduced throughout the country in the interest of encouraging the representation of ethnic minority groups, citizens residing in mountainous regions, or for accommodating particular geographic needs.

"The Parliamentary majority will publicly present its proposed mapping of electoral districts, in line with the principles described above, no later than ten days from initiating the constitutional amendments in the Parliament.

"Should there be early parliamentary elections between 2020 and 2024, the first such election will be held based on the election system guiding the 2020 elections. Any subsequent elections will be held based on the fully proportional election system as foreseen for the 2024 Parliamentary Elections.

"The undersigned party declares full support for the above changes and commits to ensuring its affirmative votes in the Parliament to pass the constitutional amendments”.

Brock Bierman, USAID Assistant Administrator, has also echoed the agreement between the sides, expressing support toward Georgia's democratic future on behalf of the Organization.  

"We are encouraged by this weekend's agreement and look forward to Parliament's full adoption of electoral reforms leading to free, fair, and transparent 2020 elections. USAID will continue to support progress toward the democratic future that all Georgians deserve", Bierman wrote on social media.

Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is Co-chair of the Friends of Georgia Group in the United States Congress, responded to the agreement.

"My heartfelt 'congrats' to the people of Georgia for reaching an agreement on the 2020 parliamentary elections. Democracy is hard work, but worth it. Speaker Talakvadze and many others deserve appreciation for their work," the Republican Congressman tweeted.

Kinzinger was among those US congressmen who warned the Georgian Dream of the possible complications to expect if they failed to reach an agreement on the 2020 parliamentary election system with opposition members.

The Council of Europe has endorsed the agreement reached between the ruling Georgian Dream party and the opposition, saying that it "puts an end to the uncertainty that lasted for several months and opens the way to depolarization of the political debate, in the run-up of this year’s elections." 

"We welcome the political agreement reached yesterday, 8 March, by the majority and opposition in Georgia on the 2020 electoral system, which puts an end to the uncertainty that lasted for several months and opens the way to depolarization of the political debate, in the run-up of this year’s elections. Talks were facilitated by representatives of the international community in Georgia including from the European Union, the United States, Germany and the Council of Europe.

"We look forward to the adoption in Parliament of the provisions of this agreement, as well as all other necessary changes to the electoral legislation, in line with international recommendations. The Council of Europe including its Venice Commission will continue to offer its assistance to Georgian authorities towards successful completion of the process.

"We commend political parties’ commitment to strive for the highest standards of the functioning of Georgia’s judiciary and protect judicial and electoral processes from inappropriate political interference. This will contribute to upholding the relevant provisions of the European Convention of Human Rights and the Council of Europe standards on electoral matters," reads the statement. 

The Spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union has released a statement on the agreement, pointing out that it is an important and visible signal of political leadership from all sides which reflects a desire to decrease the unhealthy political polarization in Georgia.

“On Sunday, all the main political parties in Georgia reached an agreement on constitutional amendments related to the election system in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The parties also signed a Joint Statement underlining the importance of free and fair parliamentary elections in 2020 and on the need to avoid actions that could be perceived as inappropriate politicization of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes. This was the outcome of more than three months of intense negotiations facilitated by the representatives of the European Union, Germany, the Council of Europe and the United States, in Georgia.

"This agreement is a very welcome, important and visible signal of political leadership from all sides which reflects a desire to decrease the unhealthy political polarisation in Georgia. We congratulate all the signatories as they have put the interests of the Georgian citizens and the consolidation of Georgia's democracy first.

"We trust that all sides will adhere to the agreement and ensure its successful adoption in the Parliament in the coming weeks and later on effective implementation. We also call on all parties to swiftly and fully address the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations following the last elections, in order to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections attain the highest level of confidence by the Georgian people and the international community,” reads the statement.

On March 10, four Members of the European Parliament (MEP) issued a joint statement welcoming the March 8 electoral system reform agreement. 

“Last Sunday marked a turning point in Georgia’s political life, as the representatives of the country’s main political forces agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding that defines the electoral system in the run-up to the parliamentary elections.

"The accord foresees an electoral system for 2020 based on 120 proportional mandates and 30 majoritarian mandates, a cap determining that no single party that receives less than 40% of the votes can form its own majority, and a 1% electoral threshold.

"We wish to congratulate all the participants of this sometimes arduous political dialogue for putting the greater interest of their country and their citizens first. Our gratitude also goes to the diplomats who have facilitated this process through their valuable mediation - in particular the EU Ambassador to Georgia, H.E. Carl Hartzell.

"We are also pleased to note that the signatories have committed themselves to hold free and fair elections and to avoid any actions that could be interpreted as an inappropriate politicization of Georgia’s electoral or judicial processes. We would like to reiterate the importance of building trust in the judicial system and call to avoid any appointments to key positions that would not be conducive to this process.

"We now call on our Georgian partners to fully implement the agreement and to ensure that the corresponding constitutional amendments are adopted swiftly by their parliament and that the next elections are held in accordance with the recommendations issued by the OSCE/ODIHR, as these steps will be decisive in further reducing the political polarisation of Georgia and consolidating its democracy. We also remind that pluralistic and balanced media are crucial for a smooth and successful electoral process,” reads the statement by leading MEPs.

The statement was co-signed by David McAllister (EPP, DE), Chair of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee; Marina Kaljurand (S&D, ET), Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation for relations with the South Caucasus; Sven Mikser (S&D, ET), The European Parliament’s standing rapporteur for Georgia, and Viola Von Cramon Taubadel (The Greens/EFA, DE), European Parliament’s lead member for democracy support activities in Georgia.

The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) issued the following statement on 10 March:

Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia on Monday responded to the agreement reached between the ruling party and opposition representatives, emphasizing its importance in terms of strengthening democracy.

The head of government expressed gratitude to international partners for their significant contribution to reaching an agreement.

“A significant agreement has been reached on the electoral system, which is an important step towards strengthening democracy, stabilizing the political environment, reducing polarization in the country and sustaining economic development in the electoral year.

"Thanks to our international partners for their significant contribution to reaching an agreement,” Gakharia said.

"The agreement reached between the sides on our electoral system is a victory for all," President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili wrote on social media. "Through compromise and prudent steps, we now have the conditions for peaceful and fair elections. Peace, stability, and democracy are the common goals for us all," she tweeted.

By Ana Dumbadze