11 Non-Parliamentary Opposition Parties to Boycott MP By-Elections

11 non-parliamentary opposition parties said in a joint statement on August 20 that they will boycott MP by-elections in two single-mandate constituencies, Martvili and Sagarejo, planned for late October.

Among those parties are Nino Burjanadze’s Democratic Movement; Labor Party, led by Shalva Natelashvili, as well as New Rights; Free Georgia; National-Democratic Party; European Democrats; Reformers; Civil Alliance for Freedom; Traditionalists; Christian-Democratic Party; Political Movement of Law Enforcement and Armed Forces Veterans.

The parties citied, as they put it, “anti-democratic electoral environment” and government’s decision to “leave without response” an electoral system reform proposal, backed by opposition parties, civil society groups and President Giorgi Margvelashvili. The key part of the proposal is to scrap majoritarian component of electoral system for next year’s parliamentary elections.

Georgian Dream ruling coalition unveiled its proposal for electoral system reform in early June, which involves keeping of majoritarian component for next year’s parliamentary elections, but to replace plurality vote to elect majoritarian MPs by majority vote and to redraw single-mandate districts to provide for equality of suffrage.
 
United National Movement (UNM), the largest parliamentary opposition party, has yet to decide whether to join the boycott. MP Sergo Ratiani, UNM’s executive secretary, said the party will hold internal consultations and will announce its decision tentatively on August 21.

MP Irakli Chikovani from another parliamentary opposition party, Free Democrats, formerly part of the GD ruling coalition, said that his party had already decided earlier not to participate in the MP by-elections in October.

Independent candidates, who are not nominated by any of the political party, can also run for majoritarian MP seats in single-mandate constituencies.

MP by-election will be held in Martvili constituency in western Georgia to fill a vacant seat in the Parliament following the death of UNM MP Nauli Janashia in March. Majoritarian MP seat for Sagarejo single-mandate constituency in eastern Georgia became vacant after Tina Khidasheli was appointed as Defense Minister in May.