Saakashvili changes his mind, asks opposition not to leave parliament for a while

Arrested Georgian former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who called on opposition MPs yesterday to leave their mandates in protest of ‘fabricated municipal elections,’ is now calling on them to refrain from taking a step for a while, until the parliament approves an electoral bill. 

The ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party head Irakli Kobakhidze stated earlier today that the party may not vote for the election bill in its second reading which offers a two percent election threshold for the next two parliamentary elections in Georgia.

He said that the GD has no obligation to support the bill, because the party withdrew from the EU-mediated agreement, which obliged the party to accept the changes, back in July 2021. 

Kobakhidze says that the current model for parliamentary elections, which offers a fully-proportional electoral system and a five percent election threshold, is legitimate for the country. 

He says that the ruling party will discuss whether or not to support the bill. 

The opposition supports the bill and says that if the GD decides to reject it, it will be ‘another sign’ that the party ‘betrays the EU and its recommendations.’ 

They also call on the parliament to set the date for the second reading.

The approval of the bill needs the support of at least 113 MPs in the 150-member parliament. 

Thus, the votes of both the ruling party (which has 90 MPs) and the opposition are necessary for its confirmation. 

The bill was approved with its first reading in September of the year. 

Three readings are mandatory for the final approval of the bill.