Page 16 - BNE_magazine_12_2019 dec19

16 I Companies & Markets bne December 2019
‘Impossible’ to arrange new vote
Irakli Kobakhidze, a member of the parliamentary majority and a former speaker of parliament who resigned during the summer protests, said it was now impossible to bring the draft constitutional law back for another vote. According
to him, to do this it would be necessary to re-initiate the draft law – but in line with stipulations concerning constitutional amendments, it must be followed by
a relatively complex procedure.
“When it comes to constitutional amendments, signatures should be collected. Either the signatures of 200,000 citizens should be collected, or [those of] 76 MPs. Thereafter, there should be a general public debate, then a committee hearing, and then three hearings at the plenary session of parliament.
I have heard the speech of one of the party officials. There is no such norm in the regulations. The only procedure is to initiate compliance with all rules,” Kobakhidze said.
The main and most radical opposition party, United National Movement (UNM), announced massive protests for November 17. Protests that have taken place so far have included demonstrations organised through social media by civil society groups such as Change. Protests have broken out in front of the parliament building and outside the residence of Georgian Dream party chairman Bidzina Ivanishvili, an oligarch and former PM who is Georgia’s richest individual and is often seen as the country’s de facto leader.
A public meeting is to be held on Rustaveli Avenue on November 17 at which speakers will call for the concluding of “Ivanishvili's government” as soon as possible and the establishment of democratic principles in Georgia, the UNM announced.
"Early parliamentary elections should be held in Georgia under an interim government and impartial election administration," it added in a statement.
"Today, oligarch Ivanishvili has once again undermined Georgia's reputation and the dignity of the Georgian citizen. That is why the United National Movement, with all opposition political parties and civil society, stands firm against Ivanishvili,” the party also stated.
Ivanishvili: Opposition harassing lawmakers
“The opposition did everything to break the fragile consensus that our team had in the summer,” Ivanishvili stated in
a message related to the developments. He blamed the opposition parties for not having attended talks initiated in 2017 for the new Constitution and for constantly harassing the ruling party’s lawmakers. “There was never a consensus for a proportional vote system among the Georgian Dream party,” Ivanishvili said, claiming that he personally has constantly advocated for this system.
“As the leader of a governing political force, I reaffirm my support for the transition to a proportional electoral system in 2020, and I sincerely regret that this has not happened – with my team and government, I can guarantee that Georgia's democratic development process will be irreversible. Free and fair elections in 2020 will be a precondition for this and
a prominent example," Ivanishvili added.
As the Constitution of Georgia stands, proportional representative system elections will be held from 2024, but protesters and the opposition parties have asked for a quicker realisation of the provision. Pressed by the protesters who occupied the streets of Tbilisi during the summer, Ivanishvili accepted the request for a 2020 introduction, but insisted on a no-threshold provision for representation in parliament, compared to the constitutional regulations that institute
a 3% threshold.
High tensions in the Middle East, with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Tensions are escalating in the Middle East after US president Donald Trump’s announcement that he was pulling US troops out of Syria. That gave a greenlight to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s desired incursion over the Syrian board to cleans the area of Kurdish fighters.
On top this Iran has locked horns with the US over sanctions, Saudi oil production facilities were recently bombed and an Iranian tanker was struck by missiles last week. in short the situation is fraught.
All this plays well for Russia. President Vladimir Putin has found himself on both sides of several of these arguments – friends with both the Kurds and the Turks, friends with both Tehran and Riyadh – and is emerging as a major broker in the region.
Ehud Olmert
former Prime Minister of Israel
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