Akaki Zoidze of Parliamentary Majority Renounces MP Mandate

Akaki Zoidze, member of the parliamentary majority and chairman of the Georgian Parliament’s Healthcare and Social Issues Committee, announced on December 2 about his plans to renounce his MP mandate.

Zoidze wrote on his Facebook page that he realizes his own responsibility in “the sharp polarization” of political processes, because despite “certain risks,” it became impossible to convince the teammates of the need to transit to fully proportional electoral system, as well as of holding a referendum or a plebiscite on the issue.

“For me, politics had always been the means for achieving a goal, doing good deeds for the country and our citizens; however, it is unlikely to implement positive reforms amid negative political agenda. Thus, I cannot see my place in the present public [policy and], partisan politics and accordingly, in the Parliament,” Zoidze noted.

According to media reports, on the position of Healthcare and Social Issues Committee, Zoidze will be replaced by Dimitri Khundadze, who serves as his first deputy until now. Khundadze, majoritarian MP from Mtskheta,  was one of the first lawmakers who opposed the constitutional amendment on transition to fully proportional electoral system from 2020. Few days later, Khundadze voiced proposal to hold the parliamentary elections through fully majoritarian system.

Akaki Zoidze became MP in 2016 through the Georgian Dream’s party list. Zoidze is the second Georgian Dream lawmaker, after Sophio Katsarava, who decided to renounce an MP mandate citing the Parliament’s decision to vote down the constitutional amendment.

11 more lawmakers quit the parliamentary majority citing the same reason, but they preserved their MP mandates. Nevertheless, the ruling party claims that the parliamentary majority is facing no threat of dissolution.

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