The FINANCIAL — Deadline for some political parties to apply to the Central Election Commission (CEC) and obtain the right to participate in 2020 Parliamentary Elections has expired yesterday. The 2020 parliamentary elections will be held in a different manner. This system is based on 120 proportional and 30 majoritarian seats and a fair composition of election districts, and has been drawn up in consultation with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission.
In line with the article 197, Georgian Organic Law “Election Code of Georgia”, the political parties without having a representative in the Parliament of Georgia, should apply to the CEC from January 1 until July 15 of the current year. However, the political parties having a representative in the Parliament of Georgia are entitled to apply to the CEC for electoral registration and obtain the right to participate in elections, once the Elections are appointed, no later than 57th day before the E-day.
68 political parties submitted application for electoral registration at the Election Administration, out which 53 are under discussion, 14 political parties are registered and one was rejected to be registered.
The 2020 parliamentary elections will be held in a different manner, with 120 seats in parliament distributed based on the party-list electoral system and the remaining 30 per the majoritarian model. The parties or election blocs will be able to enter parliament if they receive at least one per cent of total votes. 117 MPs voted for and three went against the bill which will institute a more proportional electoral system for this autumn’s parliamentary elections, as reported by local media agenda.ge
Archil Talakvadze said that, by adopting the Constitutional Changes by the Parliament, Georgia has once again proved that it is committed and ready to enhance the democracy and ensure the free Parliamentary Elections.
He responded to the adoption of the Constitutional Changes on the electoral system with the III reading: “The Parliament of Georgia adopted the Constitutional Changes with the III reading envisaging the proportional electoral system. As the society may know, in 2018, we have undertaken the Constitutional reform and adopted the Constitution of European type based on the national interests and also made the decision on fully proportional electoral system which is already outlined in the Constitution. This decision is a continuation of the democratic reforms by which we have once again proved to the society and our partners that we are ready to enhance the democracy and ensure yet another free, democratic and transparent Parliamentary Elections in October 2020”, – the Speaker stated.
The Georgian Foreign Minister, David Zalkaliani held a meeting with NATO and EU Officials. The sides welcomed the steps taken by the Georgian Government towards strengthening democracy, including by adopting constitutional amendments, and electoral system reforms.
Members of the European Parliament point out that the upcoming parliamentary elections will be “pivotal in confirming Georgia’s democratic credentials” and express their hope for an electoral campaign marked by fair competition. MEPs underline the importance of editorial independence and non-discriminatory coverage of political views in programmes by private and, in particular, public broadcasters during the upcoming electoral campaign.
During an election year, it is of critical importance that the Georgian authorities and all political actors conduct themselves responsibly and live up to their commitments to each other and to their international partners, so as not to let their achievements and aspirations fall victim to internal political tension,” said Parliament’s standing rapporteur on Georgia Sven Mikser (S&D, Estonia).
European Parliament salutes the strengthening of EU-Georgia relations
