Successful Vote in Parliament Today Heralds a New Era for Georgian Democracy
U.S., E.U., International Community Applauds Georgian Dream Commitment to Electoral Reforms
TBILISI, Georgia, June 29, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Georgia took a decisive and historic step towards the European Union and the West with the adoption of the March 8 electoral reform agreement in a final Parliamentary vote.
The Parliament of Georgia voted to adopt the Constitutional Amendments required to implement the March 8 Agreement, with 117 members out of 150 parliamentarians voting in favour.
The constitutional reforms proposed by the Georgian Dream government, were the result of steadfast support from Georgia's Western Allies, the U.S., E.U., U.K. and other international partners.
Archil Talakvadze, Speaker of the Georgian Parliament issued the following statement –
"Today's vote fulfils the desire of the Georgian people for greater democracy and political participation by every citizen. It confirms that the Georgian Dream party is the true guardian of Georgia's democratic future.
"To all of our citizens, let us celebrate that our nation has come together to battle the coronavirus and to battle for stronger democratic reforms. On behalf of all Georgians, I thank our international partners especially the United States and the European Union, for helping Georgia to reach this historic moment.
"Unfortunately, many in the opposition chose to defy the will of the people and put politics ahead of the people by voting against democracy. Nevertheless, we will not let naysayers snuff out a historic accomplishment. This giant leap towards Europe will ensure security, prosperity and new opportunities for millions of people in the current and future generations of Georgians."
The radical opposition parties did not participate in the vote; they abandoned their duties when the Georgian people needed them most. Our international partners urged all parties to vote for this reform. Instead, the radical opposition tried to sabotage the vote, and hurled insults at Western diplomats who are true friends of Georgia.
The Georgian Dream, under the leadership of Bidzina Ivanishvili, has supported full proportional representation since it came to power in 2012. Georgian Dream worked with our international partners to negotiate the electoral reform, our Members of Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of the reform, and the Georgian Dream-led government remains fully committed to implementing the reforms ahead of the October 2020 elections.
Georgian Dream will never break our promises, or backtrack on commitments. The government's track record of delivering for the Georgian people remains clear to see.
What Georgia's Western Allies Are Saying
U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Kelly DegnanEU AmbassadorsBackground
thThe Memorandum of UnderstandingJoint StatementNOTE: These materials are distributed by DCI Group AZ, L.L.C. for Political Union of Citizens "Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia," and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
