Page 7 - GEORptMay21

violations and convictions stemming from the 19-21 June 2019 protests and determines that a general election will take place in 2022 if Georgian Dream fails to receive at least 43% of votes in this year’s municipal elections.
Georgian Dream and political parties Lelo, Citizens, Republicans, Strategy Agmashenebeli and Girchi and Girchi - More Freedom signed the Michel agreement in the presidential palace on April 20 to solve the political tensions that broke out following last autumn’s general election, which the opposition parties decried as rigged, something the ruling party staunchly rejected.
The UNM, which in the election received 34 of the 60 opposition mandates in the 150-member parliament, European Georgia and Labour have not signed the agreement so far.
Ruling party Georgian Dream on April 16 signed up to a compromise prepared by European Council President Charles Michel’s personal envoy Christian Danielsson. The agreement is entitled “A way ahead for Georgia.”
But what seemed for a day to be Georgian Dream's final victory in Georgia's wrenching political crisis turned out to be only the beginning of a new negotiations episode - though that is a visible improvement from the previous deadlock. As the opposition rejected the document signed by Georgian Dream, the European mediators came up with "an improved version" that included for the first time specific terms for early elections and the liberation of political prisoners - a version broadly welcomed by the opposition but entirely ignored by Georgian Dream so far.
Chairman of the Georgian Parliament, Archil Talakvadze, noted that Georgian Dream will fulfill the points given in Danielson’s initial (not improved) document if the opposition also signs it.
Michel came up with an improved version over the weekend after the opposition expressed scepticism, and all parties were invited to discuss it under the mediation of the EU and US ambassadors to Tbilisi. Georgian Dream refused to attend the press conference after the mediation and made no comments, while the opposition parties expressed broadly positive views (implying that they would not sign the initial proposal).
Specifically, the improved version addresses “the two cases of perceived politicised justice” (centred on opposition leader Nika Melia and opposition figure Giorgi Rurua, who should be released within a week according to the revised document) and the organisation of early elections in 2022 unless ruling party Georgian Dream gets more than a certain threshold (proposed at 43%) in the proportional local elections already scheduled for later this year.
7 GEORGIA Country Report May 2021 www.intellinews.com