Constitutional Amendments Approved in the Second Reading by the Parliament

The Georgian Parliament has approved the draft constitutional amendments in the second hearing. 119 representatives registered for the vote, 115 of whom supported the draft constitutional law on the amendments to the electoral system. 3 members of parliaments voted against the proposal.

The Parliament ratified the constitutional amendments in the first reading on June 21, during which, 136 lawmakers maintained the supportive vote for the bill, including the Parliamentary Majority, European Georgia, Independent Lawmakers, Alliance of Patriots and a few independent legislators. Five MPs voted against the constitutional amendments.

According to the texts in the draft amendments, the 2020 parliamentary elections will be held under the context of a mixed electoral system (120 proportional, 30 majoritarian) and with a 1% threshold. The draft amendments also stipulate the alleged 40% locking mechanism. Particularly, the party which receives less than 40.54% votes under the proportional system, will not be able to form an independent majoritarian government.

The National Movement faction refused to take part, while members of European Georgia decided to vote.