Bidzina Ivanishvili, Chairman of Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia Party commented about the parliament’s turning down of constitutional changes prepared by the parliamentary majority regarding transformation onto the proportional system of elections.

In the released statement, Ivanishvili said that he was disappointed that the initiative of the ruling team about holding of 2020 parliamentary elections with a proportional system was not fulfilled.

According to Ivanishvili, the idea of a proportional system of elections has never been popular among Majoritarian (single mandate) MPs. He said that the initiative was the adequate reaction of Georgian Dream Party in response to the developments taking place in summer in Tbilisi.

“I was the author of the initiative and the team, in general, despite the hesitation of some Majoritarian MPs, with single exceptions, backed the idea and adhered to the party discipline,” Ivanishvili said.

Chairman of Georgian Dream Party said that the opposition did its best to violate the solid consensus existing in the team over the initiative, and personally insulted lawmakers of Georgian Dream in the parliament hall.

Ivanishvili also reiterated that he supported the idea of transformation onto the proportional system of elections. “I, together with my team and the government guarantee that the process of Georgia’s democratic development will be irreversible, and free and fair 2020 parliamentary elections will become a clear example of it,” Ivanishvili said.

The constitutional changes prepared by the parliamentary majority regarding transformation onto the proportional system of elections failed to collect enough votes during the balloting after first hearing of the draft-project in the parliament. The parliament turned down the Constitutional changes.

Based on the results of free balloting, the 101 MPs voted for, 3- against the constitutional draft project presented by the ruling team. The 113 votes were needed for the approval of the draft project. The 141 MPs underwent registration.