The Spokesperson of the European Union says the agreement on the electoral system between the Georgian government and the opposition “is a very welcome, important and visible signal of political leadership from all sides which reflects a desire to decrease the unhealthy political polarisation in Georgia.”

The European Union congratulated all the signatories as “they have put the interests of the Georgian citizens and the consolidation of Georgia’s democracy first.”

“On Sunday, all the main political parties in Georgia reached an agreement on constitutional amendments related to the election system in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The parties also signed a Joint Statement underlining the importance of free and fair parliamentary elections in 2020 and on the need to avoid actions that could be perceived as inappropriate politicisation of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes. This was the outcome of more than three months of intense negotiations facilitated by the representatives of the European Union, Germany, the Council of Europe and the United States in Georgia,” the EU stressed in the statement.

The Spokesperson further said the EU trusts that “all sides will adhere to the agreement and ensure its successful adoption in the Parliament in the coming weeks and later on effective implementation.”

“We also call on all parties to swiftly and fully address the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations following the last elections, in order to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections attain the highest level of confidence by the Georgian people and the international community,” the statement said.