Page 8 - GEORptApr21

political deadlock deepens
ODIHR, according to which “the 31 October parliamentary election [last year] was competitive and, overall, fundamental freedoms were respected. Nevertheless, pervasive allegations of pressure on voters and the blurring of the line between the ruling party and the state reduced public confidence in some aspects of the process”.
The document notes that “the parties acknowledge their differing assessment of the 2020 election and agree to take up their parliamentary mandates and participate in a future election on the basis of the electoral reform agreed here above.”
Georgian Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze on March 25 reiterated that the ruling Georgian Dream party will not consider holding a repeat general election or the release of opposition United National Movement (UNM) president Nika Melia during upcoming EU-mediated negotiations. The opposition’s response was no less blunt.
"If they do not stop, life will become a political hell for them, especially for the oligarch [Bidzina Ivanishvili]," one of the leaders of opposition party European Georgia, Giga Bokeria, was reported as saying by PalitraNews.
"It is better to untie this knot quickly, to hold an early election quickly and to get rid of this government quickly and peacefully. This is a very important factor,” Bokeria added.
In related news, 12 local civil society organisations appealed to Danielsson to enhance public communication on the mediation results and the responsibilities of the political parties in the process.
The organisations said they regretted that the previous negotiations behind closed doors were “less transparent” than desired, allowing Georgian Dream and the opposition parties to trade accusations for the failure to reach a deal.
2.2 US senate discusses ways to bolster democracy in Georgia
The resolution of Georgia’s ongoing political crisis “could either recommit the country to democracy or erode the efforts of many years,” according to Senator Jeanne Shaheen of the US Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations. She was speaking during a Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation hearing on Georgia’s political impasse on March 23.
Senators recommended that both sides in the dispute, namely ruling party Georgian Dream and a group of opposition parties, work together to deescalate the conflict, but they also recommended reforming the “politicised judiciary.” While the ruling party seemed to be drifting from the path chosen by the people of Georgia, a majority of Georgians who voted for the opposition want the elected MPs to take up their seats, Shaheen said.
Shaheen also stressed that Georgia’s commitment to democracy must be demonstrated by both members of the government and the opposition.
“It’s imperative that the government takes steps to ensure an independent judiciary, and to work with all opposition parties to find a negotiated resolution
8 GEORGIA Country Report April 2021 www.intellinews.com