GD Faction Chair rules out 5% electoral threshold lowering

Chairman of the Georgian Dream faction in the parliament, Mamuka Mdinaradze said that lowering the 5% electoral threshold is not on the ruling team’s political agenda.

According to Mamuka Mdinaradze, the 5% election barrier functions in most European countries. He also accused the United National Movement (UNM) and other opposition parties of their rejection to participate in the fulfilment of points as per the agreement put forward by European Council President Charles Michel on April 19.

“In most European countries, as well as in our country, there is a 5 percent electoral threshold, which also has its legal meaning – a balance must always be found between two big interests. There are security-related issues and other risks that constitutionalists consider both in theory and practice.

On the other hand, there is also an interest in pluralism and multi-partyism. More than half of European countries decided that the 5 percent threshold best balances both interests,” Mamuka Mdinaradze said.