Georgian Parliament approves amendments to Electoral Code

The Parliament of Georgia at an extraordinary plenary meeting on July 2 approved in the third reading amendments to the Electoral Code, which also stemmed from an agreement concluded between the ruling party and the opposition on March 8 at the residence of the US ambassador. Amendments have also been made to the law on political associations of citizens and a number of other legislative acts that are somehow related to the electoral process. The changes touched upon the principles of state financing of political parties, pre-election advertising, the use of air time, the election environment, the activities of the election administration, gender quotas and other issues on which Georgia received recommendations from ODIHR/OSCE. Opposition factions of the National Movement and European Georgia did not take part in the voting on the bills. They upheld their demand for the release from detention of their associate co-founder of the Mtavari television channel, Archi Georgy Rurua, who was detained last November on charges of illegally acquiring, storing and carrying firearms. Opposition deputies also say that the ruling party took into account only a small part of the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR in legislative amendments and neglected more significant advice and amendments. Deputies from the Alliance of Patriots did not support the bill, but independent deputies announced support for the legislative package, who at one time separated from the parliamentary majority and left the Georgian dream due to disagreements on other issues. As a result, amendments to the electoral legislation were made by 94 votes to one. Earlier, on June 29, the Georgian parliament approved amendments to the Constitution, according to which 120 deputies will be elected to the parliament of the 2020 convocation on proportional lists and 30 in majority districts.