Georgian opposition refuses to sign the EU-proposed agreement despite repeated calls from the country’s Western partners. Hartzell renews the document

On Saturday, April 18th, the ruling Georgian Dream party agreed to sign the agreement which was first proposed by the EU mediator Christian Danielsson. The newly signed agreement addresses issues such as the large-scale reform of the judicial and electoral systems as well as the amnesty to the individuals whose had cases launched against them in relation to June 2019 protests in Tbilisi – including the opposition leader Nika Melia, who currently remains in detention.

Following the signing of the document, speaker of the Georgian Parliament and member of the ruling Georgian Dream party Archil Talakvadze stated that by doing that, ruling party showed its high degree of responsibility, and added that it was now the opposition’s turn to show that “it can put the interests of the state above their personal interests”.

A number of the country’s opposition parties have already rejected the possibility of signing the agreement along with the ruling party. Member of the United National Movement party Koba Nakopia stated that while the chairman of the UNM remains in detention following his 'illegal' arrest, “no agreement with the Georgian Dream is possible.” Nakopia added that Melia should not only be let free but should also participate in the process of negotiations with the ruling party. As of right now, the opposition Girchi- More Freedom, UNM, Lelo for Georgia, European Georgia and Strategy Agmashenebeli have already refused to sign the agreement proposed by the EU. In response, the chairman of the ruing Georgian Dream party Irakli Kobakhidze told Imedi TV that the opposition’s decision is “illogical but expected”:

"It's illogical [for them] to refuse [signing the agreement], but it was probably expected, given that, unfortunately, the opposition very often takes illogical steps."

Meanwhile, in order to help bring the ongoing crisis to the conclusion, several high-ranking Western politicians have already called for all MPs to sign the agreement. The Spokespeople of the High Representative of the European Union and Vice-President of European Commission as well as the United States Department of State, in their statement urge the parties to sign the agreement drafted by the President of European Commission Charles Michel and address the needs of Georgian people:

“After nearly six months of negotiations, the citizens of Georgia have made clear that they want the political stalemate to end, and for all elected Members to work together in Parliament and address the serious challenges facing the country, including the regional challenges, COVID-19, and the economic crisis. With this in mind, we call on all Members of the Parliament of Georgia to sign the agreement that President of the European Council, Charles Michel, will propose today”, the statement reads.

Earlier today, in another attempt to assist Georgia out of the political crisis, the head of the EU delegation to Georgia Carl Hartzell proposed a renewed version of the agreement which accommodates one of the oppositions main demands- snap elections. According to the renewed document and based on the ruling party’s previous offer, the early parliamentary elections will be held in 2022 if the ruling Georgian Dream party fails to obtain 43% of votes during the self-government elections of October 2021. With an updated version of the agreement in hand, Carl Hartzell stated that the mediators are now “looking forward to convincing political parties to with the view to finalising this process as a way forward and end Georgia’s current political crisis.”