Georgia’s EU U-turn
Georgian Defence Ministry fires at least five people who signed pro-EU petition
The dismissals follow media reports in recent months that the Defence Ministry would be undergoing a ‘reorganisation’.
The ruling Georgian Dream party has initiated a legislative package that would allow the parliamentary majority to elect members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) and its chair with a simple majority, instead of the currently required 90 votes.
The amendment came as part of a legislative package containing amendments to 14 different laws introduced by Georgian Dream on Monday.
Georgian Dream to eliminate NGOs from all official decision making processes
The government has been openly criticising the country’s non-governmental sector and adopting restrictive laws for several years now.
OC Media
Parliament currently elects members of the CEC based on amendments adopted in February 2024, through which Georgian Dream introduced a phased voting system in parliament’s election of the CEC’s chair and non-partisan members. Through the system, if the parliamentary majority is unable to gather the 90 votes needed to elect the new chair, parliament can pass a motion to elect a chair or member with a simple majority of 76 votes.
Georgia’s President to veto ‘anti-European’ amendments to electoral code
Georgia’s President Salome Zurabishvili has vowed to veto amendments to the electoral code that would allow the ruling party to heavily influence the makeup of the Central Election Commission (CEC), which Zurabishvili stated contradicted EU recommendations. Zurabishvili vowed to veto the law hour…
Shota Kincha
The new rules Georgian Dream seeks to adopt would allow the parliamentary majority to elect the CEC’s members and chair with a simple majority vote.
Georgia’s Parliament currently has no opposition representation except for Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party, which has 12 MPs boycotting all sessions. Gakharia served as a former prime minister under Georgian Dream between 2019–2021.
In the beginning of February, the parliamentary majority expelled 49 opposition MPs — who were also boycotting all sessions — from parliament. The expelled MPs belonged to the Unity — National Movement, Strong Georgia, and Coalition for Change groups. Without them, parliament officially only has 101 members.
Speaking to OC Media, constitutional lawyer Vakhushti Menabde said that parliament’s full composition is 150 members, and that Georgian Dream would need at least 76 votes to elect CEC members.
They currently have 89 members between them and their offshoot parliamentary groups.
Kobakhidze praises lack of opposition in Georgian Parliament
Three out of the four opposition groups left parliament after refusing to recognise the 2024 parliamentary election results.
OC Media
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