Vote on Key Constitutional Amendments Postponed

The ruling party blamed an opposition boycott of Parliament for the failure to vote on some key constitutional amendments on February 19.

Parliament was due to vote on three constitutional amendments aimed at: the reduction of the election threshold from the current 7% to 5%; parliamentary elections in spring, instead of late 2008 and the abolition of the first-past-the-post, winner-takes-all system of electing majoritarian lawmakers. The latter two proposed changes were among 17 demands put forth by twelve opposition parties on January 29 in a joint memorandum.

The parliamentary majority, however, announced on February 19 that a quorum had not been reached because some of its members were absent due to illness and business commitments. Opposition MPs, the ruling party said, were needed to make up the required numbers. 

“This is ridiculous,” MP Kakha Kukava of the Conservative Party, part of the nine-party opposition coalition, said. “This parliament has passed 15 constitutional amendments [since 2004] and not a single opposition vote was needed by the ruling party to approve them.”

Constitutional amendments require 157 votes. The ruling party faction, which has 125 lawmakers, has never before had any problem in making up the balance, with pro-government loyalists in other factions willing to help. 

Nino Burjanadze, the parliamentary chairperson, said in Parliament on February 19 that although the opposition claims to have withdrawn from talks with the authorities, she held consultations with some opposition leaders, whom she did not identify, and told them that the ruling party would postpone voting till February 26, when Parliament is expected to be convened.

She, however, also said that voting would only take place if opposition lawmakers participated.

Opposition lawmakers, however, are, among other things, boycotting Parliament in an attempt to force the government to meet three key demands: the release of , what they describe as, “political prisoners” and the dismissal of Tamar Kintsurashvili, the head of public TV, and Levan Tarkhnishvili, the chairman of the Central Election Commission. The opposition has also threatened to launch a mass hunger strike and street protests throughout Georgia from February 22 unless these demands are met. The authorities have so far only partially responded, with the release of six people jailed in connection with the November 7 events. Others, however, still remain imprisoned. 

“I hope that instead of using the language of ultimata and making incomprehensible statements, our opposition colleagues will take steps necessary for the implementation of agreements already reached,” Burjanadze said.

She also warned that the constitutional amendment related to the timing of the next parliamentary election was time-sensitive. Burjanadze explained that even if the amendment were passed by mid-March, the parliamentary elections would only be possible, at the earliest, in the first half of June. Spring was chosen by 79.9% of voters in a plebiscite on January 5 as the best time to hold the elections. The ruling party has proposed to hold elections between May 14 and May 24.