Georgian Dream ready to consider zero threshold electoral system for 2024 elections
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Tuesday, February 9
Chairman of the Georgian Dream faction Mamuka Mdinaradze stated at the February 2 plenary session that the electoral reform started on December 8, with the first meeting of the relevant working group.
Mdinaradze responded to the proposal of the party Girchi, who says they will enter the parliament if the ruling team agrees to establish a natural barrier for the parliamentary elections.
Vakhtang Megrelishvili, a member of Girchi, told the media on February 6 that he had proposed to the ruling party a very favourable offer regarding a zero threshold for parliamentary elections. Girchi, for its part, says it will do its utmost to ensure that opposition colleagues enter the parliament in full force to resolve the issue. Megrelishvili stated that If Girchi cannot convince colleagues, “the party is ready to enter the parliament on its own.”
Mdinaradze mentioned Girchi’s ‘promise’ to convince other opposition parties to enter the parliament, adding the party leaders have stated this in both public and private conversations. He also stated that according to the memorandum, which is open to all parliamentary parties, the Georgian Dream has already committed itself to lowering the electoral threshold for the 2024 parliamentary elections from 0 to 3% if there are enough votes (mandates). According to Mdinaradze, “all options are being considered.”
The memorandum, which is currently in the process of being signed by Elisashvilis’ Citizens, reads: “The threshold will be specified within the framework of public-parliamentary and parliamentary discussions of the relevant constitutional bill."
At the February 2 plenary session of parliament, the Georgian Dream did not support the abolition of the mandate of opposition MPs.
Note that on February 8, Zurab Japaridze, one of the 51 opposition MPs whose request to cancel their mandates was rejected by the parliament, filed a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court on this issue.
MP Mdinaradze welcomed Japaridze’s decision, arguing that even though Japaridze won’t listen to neither international partners, nor to the Georgian Dream, he trusts the Constitutional Court. The chairperson claims that the court will reject the statement as well “since there are some judicial issues that do not leave room for ambiguity.”
