📍 I believe that the election code, which is in force in Georgia today, is exemplary for many democratic countries – Fridon Injia
🔶 During the last 30 years, the election legislation in Georgia has improved so much that today’s current election code can be exemplary even for many democratic states.
🔶 Chairman of the political group “European Socialists” Fridon Injia announced this at the plenary session of the extraordinary session of the Parliament.
🔶 Deputies discussed the need to overcome the veto placed by President Salome Zurabishvili on the amendments to the election legislation and regulations and discussed the motivated remarks presented by the President.
🔶 “I remember the election code that was in place in Georgia in the 90s, when the Communist Party lost the elections and the national government came to the head of the country. Many things have been refined, the code has changed many times in the last 30 years, and we have come to the current code. Over the years, the Code has included and, at the same time, omitted such nuances, which allowed different political parties to invent different mechanisms for rigging the elections. I myself witnessed this when I won the election in 1999 in a majority constituency, but they called and decided that a second round would be held. In the second round, the ballots were not delivered to the district, the elections failed and were postponed for a year, although a year later I still won in absentia… We all remember how they carried the ballots with bags and guns. This was the election system in Georgia.
🔶 Today’s election code is so sophisticated that practically, none of the fraud mechanisms invented by Georgians work. On the election day, everything is fine. The only thing left for some parties is that they still manage to bully or bribe in various ways in the run-up to the elections. I say it as it is…”, said Fridon Injia.
🔶 According to him, no one could have imagined that recounting of election precincts would be possible in Georgia, but it was possible, unlike in the USA.
🔶 “Approximately, 5 years ago, someone imagined that it was possible to recalculate the indicative districts. 25-28 years have passed so that practically nothing like this has happened. It didn’t happen here, not even in the United States of America, I mean the last presidential election, despite the fact that Donald Trump’s supporters filed a complaint, but there was no recount. The law in Georgia is so sophisticated that this procedure is possible. That’s why I have a proposal for the CEC or the ruling party – it would be good if election codes by year were published in the form of a brochure, where all the changes made during this time would be collected. The code that exists now is exemplary, I think so. Such a code can exist in very few countries”, said the chairman of “European Socialists”.
🔶 “There is no such differentiation of positions in any country, as we propose that some positions be elected by the majority of votes, and some – by two-thirds or three-fifths. We elect the first person of the government with 76 votes, and there is no objection to this… How can the chairman of the CEC be elected for 6 months. I asked the question – are all the resolutions signed by the elected chairman of the CEC legitimate and legal for 6 months? They all turned out to be legit. If so, then what’s wrong with choosing for 9 months, or a year, or two and five years, and why can’t it be with those 76 votes? As we proceed with this differentiation, and individual positions are elected by 2/3, and individual supermajorities, today should be a good example of how such an approach has led to more confrontation and polarization. If it wasn’t like that, this debate wouldn’t be a waste of time,” MP Injia said.
🔶 According to him, the president’s argumentation includes the phrases “in the spirit of Charles Michel’s memorandum”, “our European future” and nothing is said about such an approach that will bring us closer and give us a lever to unify the country.
🔶 “Now what is the European future, Europe itself does not know what the future will be like. But what I know and want it to be is the unification of the country. The president has not observed such an approach. Colleagues talk about partners… I remember the period of Ceka. If Tseka made a decision, it was bound to be implemented by all district organizations. Where are we going? i.e. Our partners rule us, but if we are partners, then how is it? Have we set any rules for our partners? I don’t remember something. It’s time to get down to business. If they are in the majority, or if there is ever a coalition majority, he decides, that is the basis of democracy.
🔶 “Dream” is fully responsible for the position elected by the Parliament, it doesn’t matter if it is elected by 2/3 or 3/5. Therefore, let the “dream” be kind and respond,” said Fridon Injia.
🔶 According to him, if the correct approach was the ruling party’s MkhTherefore, there would not be the problems that were created in relation to the Public Defender, the members of the National Bank Council, the members of the Supreme Council of Justice and other issues.
🔶 “We would have saved our time, mind, nerves and energy and directed them to the issues that are needed for the unification of the country, or even to allocate 400 GEL instead of 200 GEL to children. Here, we know that our women, the mothers of families, go to work abroad, they receive somewhere around 1200 euros, and from this, about 400-500 euros remain, which they send to their families. Let’s think about it, to somehow return them to their families, to their children, and to offer them a corresponding salary of 400-500 euros, or to give them an allowance for 3-4 children, so that they can spend time raising their children in the family. This would be more acceptable for our country”, said Fridon Injia.