EU Ambassador to Georgia welcomes the consensus reached between Georgian political parties on electoral reform

The Ambassador of the European Union Carl Hartzell stated that he welcomes the consensus that the Georgian political parties have managed to reach on the subject of the electoral reform:

“It seems that the consensus on the subject of the electoral reform has finally been reached. We are now waiting for the legislation to be sent to the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission for final assessment and recommendations as soon as possible.”

Hartzell added that the judicial reform is just as important of a component of the EU-mediated agreement of April 19:

“In the nearest future, it will be necessary to focus attention on the process of appointing judges at the Supreme Court, since this process is approaching fast, as well as the appointment of the members of the country’s High Council of Justice. Those two organs are very important in establishing people’s trust in the country’s judicial system. Moreover, this process will determine the stage-by-stage implementation of other reforms, in which the EU and other international partners will participate.”

In his statement, ambassador Hartzell also expressed his hope for the United National Movement to join the parliament in the nearest future, saying that it is very important for the party to participate in the current political discourse, specifically the implementation of electoral, judicial, and other reforms:

“I hope that the United National Movement will soon make a decision to join the parliament as that would be a logical step for them; it is very important for them to participate in the discussions of the electoral, judicial, and other important reforms.”

EU representative also noted that the question of Tamar Zhvania’s Chairmanship of the Central Election Commission has not been discussed within the framework of the April 19 agreement, and it is up to the parties to decide whether they want to continue discussing the matter:

“I can say that the proposed changes to the country’s electoral law look very promising. There have been some discussions with regard to the chairmanship of the Central Election Commission, however, not about the candidacy of Tamar Zhvania in specific. It is, therefore, up to the parties themselves to decide whether they want to discuss it [Zhvania’s candidacy on the position of the chairwoman of the Central Election Commission],” noted EU Ambassador Hartzell.