Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili recently delivered a speech in the Parlament with the report “On the State of the Union”. The report was very interesting and rich with new ideas. The most important and revolutionary of them is the rejection of the mixed majority-proportional system of formation of the parliament and the conducting of the next elections in 2016 exclusively by party lists.
This issue has a history: on October 28, 1990 the Georgian SSR held its first multi-party elections. They were preceded by heated debate of newly formed political parties about the system used to hold it - majoritarian or proportional. The proposal for a mixed system won, half of the legislature is based on elections in single-member constituencies and the other half - on party lists. The parties had the right to nominate candidates in single-member districts, while introducing them to the party list. If such a candidate was defeated in his district, the deputy mandate was received by him and the next person on the list.
Since then, all the elections in the country were held according to a mixed system. In practice, this has led to the majority deputies becoming supporters of any party in power. Often MPs from single-member constituencies after victory in elections passed over to the ruling party, which won a majority of seats in the legislature. This is not surprising, because a majority deputy, if he is in the Georgian opposition, can't solve the pressing problems of the people on the spot - to lobby for the interests of the region in various departments, to emboss transfers from the center. As a result, the party in power, even if it has received less than half of the seats on party lists, has still formed an absolute majority in Parliament, based on the majority shareholders.
Political parties (with the exception of the ruling one) could not like this state of affairs. Therefore, they constantly raised the question of changing the system and the abolition of majoritarian elections, citing the experience of many small countries, where the proportional system led to a strengthening of political pluralism and a real multiparty system.
But the opponents of innovation have a serious argument: Georgia is a multinational country, where ethnic minorities live in compact proximity. There are the Kvemo Kartli region (Borchali) with a predominantly Azerbaijani population and Javakheti (Javakhk), which is home to hundreds of thousands of Armenians. If it were made impossible for these five areas to choose their deputies, national minorities could quite reasonably speak about the infringement of their rights in Georgia. Putting Armenians, Azerbaijanis and Georgians of different ethnic origins on the party lists will not improve the situation - the people in those areas are used to having their own, separate 'voice' in the capital.
This could not be ignored, even by the radical nationalist forces led by the country's first president, Zviad Gamsakhurdia.
Since then, nothing has changed, but President Margvelashvili supported the idea, formulated recently by most political parties and NGOs in a special appeal "On the Reform of the Electoral System". The document was signed by all parties except the ruling 'Georgian Dream' party of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Even the 'Republican Party', which is a member of the coalition with the same name, supported the reform. The party of ex-President Saakashvili 'United National Movement' spoke in support of the reform, although, as the party in power, it was strongly opposed to it, referring to the same considerations of 'national security'.Why does the president speak in support of the political elite? Giorgi Margvelashvili is struggling with Irakli Garibashvili for authority and a real impact on the political processes. Naturally, It is profitable for the head of state to be on the side of the absolute majority of the political class and the non-governmental sector.But judging by the statements of the Prime Minister, who has the real power, the ruling party is not going to give in on this. And considering that it controls the majority in Parliament, it is an impossible task to amend the Basic Law.However, such an obstacle has never stopped Georgian politicians: the leaders who signed "the appeal" threaten that if the prime minister and the 'Georgian Dream' party will not yield, they will begin mass protests demanding the resignation of the government.
Since then, nothing has changed, but President Margvelashvili supported the idea, formulated recently by most political parties and NGOs in a special appeal "On the Reform of the Electoral System". The document was signed by all parties except the ruling 'Georgian Dream' party of Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. Even the 'Republican Party', which is a member of the coalition with the same name, supported the reform. The party of ex-President Saakashvili 'United National Movement' spoke in support of the reform, although, as the party in power, it was strongly opposed to it, referring to the same considerations of 'national security'.
Why does the president speak in support of the political elite? Giorgi Margvelashvili is struggling with Irakli Garibashvili for authority and a real impact on the political processes. Naturally, It is profitable for the head of state to be on the side of the absolute majority of the political class and the non-governmental sector.
But judging by the statements of the Prime Minister, who has the real power, the ruling party is not going to give in on this. And considering that it controls the majority in Parliament, it is an impossible task to amend the Basic Law.
However, such an obstacle has never stopped Georgian politicians: the leaders who signed "the appeal" threaten that if the prime minister and the 'Georgian Dream' party will not yield, they will begin mass protests demanding the resignation of the government.
