On March 8, 2020 efforts of diplomatic community led to an important agreement between political parties and political groups of Georgia.

Leadership and contribution from Kelly C. Degnan - US Ambassador to Georgia, Carl Hartzell- Head of EU Delegation, Hubert Knirsch - Ambassador of Germany to Georgia, Cristian Urse - Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia and Elizabeth Rood- Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy was of special significance throughout the negotiation and consensus-reaching process.

The Fraction “Independent Members of Parliament” welcomes the political consensus that entails 120 proportional/30 majoritarian model for 2020 elections with 1% threshold for proportional seats, 15% deviation from the average electoral size of districts and the spirit and efforts to de-escalate the political environment.

Hereby, the Fraction notes that the final agreement mainly reflects positions and inquiries of the ruling party and the united opposition. It is disappointing, that the main requirement of our Fraction on universal compulsory elections for 2020 was not considered either in the final agreement document or at any stage of formal and non-formal negotiations.

We consider universal compulsory elections critical for (a) meaningful de-polarization of the political spectrum in Georgia; (2) reducing the impact of funding from financially resourceful political parties on the election results; (3) high legitimacy of the election results, (4) maturation of the young democracy of Georgia and (5) broader political pluralism in the Parliament and subsequently the executive government.

However, in the spirit of reaching Universal Consensus on the electoral system, normalization of the election environment and longer-term political stability of Georgia, we sign the March 8, 2020 agreement with the conditionality that the topic of Compulsory Elections becomes a part of the Constitutional reform discussions after initiation of the Constitutional Amendments in the Parliament.