EU: Agreement between Govt', Opposition Important Signal of Political Leadership

The Spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union has released a statement on the agreement reached between the opposition and the government on the electoral system on March 8. 

The statement points out that the agreement 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.

By Ana Dumbadze