Political analysts dispute about consequences of opposition's boycott of Georgian Parliament

The opposition's boycott of the work of the Parliament will lead to a stronger political crisis in Georgia, Nika Chitadze, a political analyst, believes. The absence of oppositional MPs in the Parliament increases the freedom of action for the "Georgian Dream", Giya Abashidze, his colleague, has objected.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 11, the Georgian opposition announced a boycott of the Georgian Parliament on the first day of its work.

Without the participation of the opposition, the Georgian Parliament will be unable to ratify international treaties, Mr Chitadze asserts. "According to Article 62 of the Parliament's Rules of Procedure, at least 50 percent of the interim commission must be members of the opposition, but since there will be no opposition in the Parliament, no interim commission will be set up. Besides, three-quarters of MPs' votes are needed to ratify international bilateral or multilateral treaties," the political analyst told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The opposition is unlikely to be able to achieve the cancellation of the outcomes of parliamentary elections, Mr Abashidze has noted. At the same time, he believes that with a one-party parliament, Georgia will not develop democratically. "Without a strong opposition, the 'Georgian Dream' can go for the fourth term. <...> Any party that sees no competitor will behave as it wants," Giya Abashidze has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 12, 2020 at 09:05 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.