NEWS

Georgian Dream Annuls EU Council “April 19” Agreement

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They made it easy for Georgian Dream to annul their signature. Even more true: The people of Georgia will suffer the most from these decisions.”

“Today, 100 days after the April 19 agreement, it is clear that it has fulfi lled its mission,” stated Irakli Kobakhidze, Chairman of the Georgian Dream party, on the afternoon of July 28, going on to note that the agreement was being annulled.

“Although more than half of the opposition MPs did not sign the agreement, we see that our international partners do not consider it necessary to strongly urge the radical opposition to sign the document and participate in its implementation,” Kobakhidze said.

“The country has already moved to new, local self-government elections, and holding such elections when the main opposition party has not signed the document is detrimental to the interests of the country. In this situation, the Georgian Dream side declaring exhaustion of the agreement seems to be the only path to follow,” he added.

He also touched upon the issue of early parliamentary elections, noting that Georgian Dream, by its own good will, would be ready to call early elections not only with 43% of the vote, but with even 53%.

Former US Ambassador to Georgia William Courtney said of the Georgian Dream decision to annul the April 19 Michel agreement: “On 19 July, Georgia in Batumi pledged ‘unwavering commitment to advance further the process of our integration into the EU’,” he tweeted. “Does quitting an EU-brokered political compromise undermine this pledge? Is Georgia retreating from EU ambitions?”

MEP Viola von Cramon, who was in Kyiv, fl ew to Georgia the same evening Kobakhidze made the announcement, to hold talks with the Georgian politicians.

Before fl ying, she tweeted the following: “To be fair, the biggest opposition party, UNM, did not even make an effort to sign this joint agreement with the EU. Both sides are playing a terrible political game on the backs of their citizens. All this does NOT help at all,” she wrote.

The MEP also shared a Euractiv interview with Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zakaliani, entitled ‘Georgian Foreign Minister: We need a post-2020 Eastern Partnership agenda perspective,’ saying that after the latest developments in Georgia, the above interview looks “especially ridiculous.”

A leader of Giorgi Gakharia's 'For Georgia' party, Beka Liluashvili, addressed both Georgian Dream and the United National Movement the morning following the announcement of the annulling: “You act with common interests today and this is clear to everyone! Stop your political fraud and stop playing with the fate of the state and our citizens!”

Gakharia's teammate added that the government had ultimately announced that the interests of the state and the future of the country are determined not by democratic processes and the will of citizens, but by the will of the ruling party.

“Today, the ruling party informed us that the most important thing for them is the freedom of Melia and Rurua. A person accused of assaulting state institutions is a mayoral candidate, thus creating an image of an enemy for the elections, while the government does not see any other need for fulfi lling the April 19 agreement.

“The UNM in turn confi rmed that they had not signed the April 19 agreement because it was within the interest of the ruling party, a fact they needed as a basis to annul the agreement!" Liluashvili said.

“This political fraud took place due to the dramatic results of their internal party surveys, as they are faced with the reality that 'For Georgia’s' approval rating is growing. The fear caused by this reality led both sides to put their narrow party interests above state interests.

He went on to note that the ‘For Georgia’ party is continuing its country-wide campaign trail and that support is growing.

“Support is strong and growing, and it is with these citizens that we will reach an impressive result in the local elections, and then we will change the government,” he said.

Former Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Kvirikashvili named the annulment “a step towards extreme polarization and a signifi cant setback on the path of development of Georgian democracy.”

However, he added, the biggest opposition force, the United National Movement, is also to blame.

“The decision of the Georgian Dream to withdraw from the April 19 agreement is a step towards extreme polarization and a signifi cant setback on the path of development of Georgian democracy,” Kvirikashvili said. “The responsibility for this development lies primarily with the leadership of the Georgian Dream; however, the National Movement, who by refusing to sign the agreement allowed the ruling party to relinquish its commitments, is also responsible for the reality in which the country fi nds itself.

“Regardless of the plans and actions of this or that political party, it is the responsibility of the ruling party to create a positive agenda, fulfi ll its international obligations despite the actions of the radical opposition, and fi nd a solution to the country’s development issues on both the internal and external stages,” he noted.

“Consultations with a number of political actors are starting in Georgia,” European Council President Charles Michel said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.

He says he met with President Salome Zurabishvili on Wednesday evening to discuss the current situation and EUGeorgia relations.

“I have taken note of the decision by the Georgian Dream as regards the 19 April Agreement,” Michel said. “This agreement continues to offer a European way towards building a stronger democracy and rule of law in Georgia in the interest of the Georgian people. I have equally taken note of United National Movement’s continued refusal to sign the agreement.

“I remain convinced that this agreement is the best way to advance a reform agenda which would strengthen the democratic institutions of Georgia and help bring about prosperity, jobs and growth - all much needed to benefi t the people of Georgia.

“I see no alternative to continued indepth electoral and judicial reforms, and free and fair local elections.

“I call on all parties to put the interests of the citizens fi rst, and to commit to advancing Georgia’s political discourse within the framework of the country’s democratic institutions.”

On Thursday afternoon, Nika Melia, who was in the spotlight of the confl ict that kicked off the need for the April 19 agreement, stepped down from his parliamentary mandate. “I, Nika Melia, am leaving the Parliament and my parliamentary mandate,” the UNM Chairman said.

He then appealed to other UNM representatives to stay in the legislature in order to complete the “procedures for the transition to a proportional electoral system. If this is done, the international community will see even more clearly what they are dealing with, and only then, after winning the referendum, will this parliament be dissolved and there will be the new legitimate parliament elected by the Georgian people,” Melia said.

THE APRIL 19 MICHEL AGREEMENT

President of the European Council Charles Michel released a proposal for Georgia mid-April, aiming to put an end to the political stalemate which had seen the opposition protesting the results of the 2020 parliamentary elections and abstaining from entering Parliament. The proposal suggested electoral and justice reforms and the offering of a pardon for all violations and convictions stemming from the June 2019 protests.

Based on the mediators’ document, the persons assessed as political prisoners were to be released within a week of the signing of the agreement between the government and the opposition. In addition, based on Michel’s proposal, early elections should be called in 2022 if the Georgian Dream party gets less than 43% of votes in the local elections.

Opposition parties that signed the EUmediated agreement with the ruling Georgian Dream party entered Parliament on April 27 to submit an amnesty bill, which President Salome Zurabishvili then signed.

Only the United National Movement and European Georgia parties refused to sign the EU Council’s updated compromise document.

Soon after, three MEPs, Marina Kaljurand, Sven Mikser, and Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, released a joint statement on the “resolution” of the political crisis in Georgia, calling on the remaining political parties and Members of Parliament to sign the agreement.

“We do believe that this proposal is politically balanced and places the needs and legitimate expectations of all Georgian citizens at the center of the debate. It offers a way out of the current political impasse and can help to reduce the political polarization that has poisoned Georgia's political life for too long. The proposal gives fresh impetus to the consolidation of democracy and the rule of law, thus matching Georgia’s European aspirations,” the MEPs wrote.

“We solemnly call on the remaining opposition parties and individual Members of Parliament to show the same courage for the greater good of Georgia. For this political crisis to be totally and defi nitively behind us, we hope that the Parliament of Georgia becomes fully functioning in the nearest future, and ensures that the agreement is thoroughly implemented in word and spirit. The European Parliament remains ready to continue its close cooperation with the Parliament of Georgia by providing assistance, among others, via parliamentary electoral dialogues and mediation between the different political factions.”

The US ‘Deeply Disturbed & Exasperated’ by GD Decision to Quit April 19 Agreement

BY TEAM GT

The United States is deeply disturbed and exasperated by the unilateral decision of the Georgian Dream party to withdraw from the April 19th Agreement, the US Embassy in Tbilisi said in a statement.

All of the signatories should be held accountable to their commitments in the Agreement, the statement emphasized.

“The United States is deeply disturbed and exasperated by the unilateral decision of the Georgian Dream party to withdraw from the April 19th Agreement, a document established through six months of diffi cult but collaborative negotiations, and one that gives an urgently-needed way forward for the Georgian people and their democracy. 115 MPs from at least six of nine elected parties signed the Agreement and pledged to work together in good faith to reduce the deep polarization that is impeding Georgia’s democratic progress. Washington is growing increasingly alarmed about repeated setbacks to Georgia’s democratic future.

“All of the signatories should be held accountable to their commitments in the Agreement. While we continue to press for all parties to sign and fully implement the agreement, Georgian Dream’s unilateral withdrawal is another deviation from the letter and spirit of the negotiations Georgian Dream participated in and the agreement they signed. This decision by the ruling party only creates more political instability for the country and raises questions about Georgian Dream’s commitment to achieving Georgia’s democratic goals, goals that Georgian Dream itself set for the country. benefi t those trying to undermine Georgia’s success as a stable, prosperous democracy.

“The Agreement lays out a useful roadmap for important reforms that are needed to strengthen Georgia’s democratic institutions, reduce politicization of the judiciary, improve Georgia’s electoral system and power-sharing in the Parliament, and continue efforts to strengthen the rule of law. These reforms are still urgently needed, and should be adopted through an inclusive, multiparty process.

“We call on all parties, including Georgian Dream, to work together to fulfi ll in good faith the commitments they agreed to and that are vital to Georgia’s timely integration into the European family of nations,” reads the statement.

Yesterday, July 28, the Georgian Dream offi cially left the April 19 Agreement mediated by the President of the European Council Charles Michel.