US Secretary of State Deputy Assistant Kara McDonald stated at the US Senate that the parties should agree and take care to address issues that concern their voters.
“This is how coalitions are formed. Parties need to agree and take care to address issues that concern their voters. This is how the coalition is formed in the multi-party system, which we see in Georgia. In overcoming the current impasse, it is also important to continue to call for electoral and justice reform. The process of this reform is very long, especially the reform of the justice system. So we have to focus on the broader structural issues because I am afraid we will overcome this impasse and then these issues will arise again, the protest will start again and it will all again be beneficial for Russia. So these broad issues need to be addressed and the OSCE recommendations are a great guide to that,” McDonald said.
She noted that the concentration of power in state institutions is in the hands of the ruling party and that selective pressure on the media and recognized civil society leaders undermines belief in Georgian democracy. She stressed that the judiciary should be independent and protect everyone indiscriminately.
McDonald called on the opposition to enter parliament: “We know what worries Georgian citizens: poverty, unemployment, pandemics. Both sides must come to the table quickly and carry out electoral reform,” McDonald said.
By Ketevan Skhirtladze
