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Assessments on Parliament Voting down Constitutional Amendment

The Georgian Parliament’s decision to vote down the constitutional amendment on transition to the proportional electoral system has triggered mixed assessments from politicians and civil rights activists.

Civil Georgia (Civil.ge) offers you a compilation of these assessments.

Ruling party assessments

Archil Talakvadze, Parliament Speaker: “The today’s decision means that the 2020 parliamentary elections will be held with a 3% threshold, election blocs and mixed system… To prevent the [Georgian Dream] team from splitting we made a decision about free voting. This means that those lawmakers, who said that they would not support the decision on proportional elections, were allowed to make a free choice. We will not avoid any responsibility, we will continue working in frames of OSCE recommendations, involving party financing system, campaign holding rules and other election-related issues.”

Gia Volski, leader of the parliamentary majority: “I think that we could have worked more not only with our teammates, but also with the opposition. Bidzina Ivanishvili’s position was known to everyone; maintenance of the [Georgian Dream parliamentary] majority is of special importance not for Georgian Dream, but for the state.”

Opposition’s assessments

Salome Samadashvili, United National Movement: “The government led by Giorgi Gakharia should resign; Ivanishvili no longer has any legitimate right to rule the country, because he went against Georgian people.”

Davit Bakradze, European Georgia: “It was a show, it was a lie and entire Georgia will have to pay the price of this lie… because by this decision the country entered into a very grave political crisis. We are now witnessing a new political reality… What happened today is not only cheating of politicians and political parties, it is not only cheating of public, but it is the step towards future destabilization of Georgia; and responsibility for this destabilization entirely rests upon Georgian Dream’s political leadership… It was the reality created by them deliberately.”

Levan Gogichaishvili, independent lawmaker: “It is shameful what they did. Only enemy of this country might have done it… It is a show staged by Bidzina Ivanishvili.”

Eka Beselia, independent lawmaker: “Unfortunately, the government’s absolutely irresponsible, unreasonable, irrational and anti-state decision may lead the processes to the streets. Now, an absolutely new process will be launched. I will definitely support a peaceful protest movement and believe that it is necessary that we jointly express this process within constitutional frameworks.”

Kremlin-friendly politicians:

Irma Inashvili, Alliance of Patriots: “I call on our supporters, as well as supporters of other parties to take to the streets. A shameful thing happened in the Parliament today and the country no longer has neither the Parliament nor the government. I lay responsibility for the crisis on Bidzina Ivanishvili and Georgian Dream’s political elite.”

Assessments by civil rights activists

Giga Makarashvili: “Even at the most decisive moment, Bidzina Ivanishvili failed to stand on the side of the country’s interests; he did not dare to give his own country, own people a chance for a better future; he did not dare to be progressive and stand beside people; so, we should give a dignified response to the boycott announced by him against his own people.”

Shota Digmelashvili: “Now we should stand together against one person. [We should] come out in the streets and let’s tear our homeland out of his hands… we cannot believe in his lies… this rebellion of slaves [majoritarian MPs from ruling party not endorsing the bill] is a performance.  This person [Bidzina Ivanishvili] is a liar. We will not agree on any negotiations with them. Their mandate of trust has expired.”

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