Constitutional Reform

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NGOs demand new chief prosecutor be selected without Georgian Justice Minister

by OC Media

•4 min read

A group of prominent Georgian non-governmental organisations have continued to boycott the selection of a new chief prosecutor, demanding the process be postponed until a candidate can be selected under new rules that ensure the appointment of a ‘politically neutral professional’. The Coalition for an Independent and Transparent Judiciary, an association of several prominent NGOs, made another statement on Tuesday calling on the government to remove Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani from the Pr

Armenia

Protest leader demands new elections in Armenia

by OC Media

•3 min read

Protest leader Nikol Pashinyan has called for fresh parliamentary elections in Armenia, following the resignation of Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan. Sargsyan stepped down after an 11-day campaign of street protests and civil disobedience against his rule. Deputy Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan from the ruling Republican Party assumed the office of acting prime minister on Monday afternoon following Sargsyan’s resignation. Political parties will now have a week to nominate a new prime mini

Armenia

Serzh Sargsyan resigns as Prime Minister of Armenia after 11 days of protests

by OC Media

•3 min read

Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan has resigned less than a week after he was appointed, according to a statement published Monday afternoon on his official website. His resignation comes as widespread protests against his rule entered their 11th day in the capital Yerevan. ‘Nikol Pashinyan was right. I was wrong. There are some solutions to the current situation, but I will not go into any of them. They do not belong to me. I’m leaving the post of Armenian Prime Minister. The street mo

Armenia

Ex-president Serzh Sargsyan appointed Armenian PM as opposition declares ‘velvet revolution’

by OC Media

•3 min read

Ex-president Serzh Sargsyan has been sworn in as prime minister by Armenia’s parliament, the National Assembly, by 77 votes to 17. Mass-protests in Yerevan went into a fifth day on Tuesday, with thousands coming out to protest Sargsyan’s appointment, reportedly surrounding government buildings and clashing with police. Opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan called for a campaign of ‘total disobedience’, declaring the movement a ‘velvet revolution’. Clashes with police continued on Tuesday, with

Armenia

Opposition light flares in Armenian parliament against Serzh Sargsyan

by OC Media

•2 min read

Members of liberal Armenian opposition coalition Yelk staged a protest in Armenia’s parliament, the National Assembly, today by releasing coloured smoke flares on the assembly floor. The pair were protesting ex-President Serzh Sargsyan’s candidacy for the office of Prime Minister. MP Ararat Mirzoyan of the Civil Contract Party, a member of the Yelk (way out) coalition, took to the podium at the National Assembly, declaring ‘we have to end the rule of the Republican Party’, and announcing th

Constitutional Reform

President vetoes Georgia’s constitutional changes

by OC Media

•2 min read

Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili vetoed on 9 October a package of constitutional amendments adopted by Parliament. The package, with additional remarks from the president, will now return to parliament to be debated, although they have the power to override the veto. Margvelashvili said his version of the amendments includes six core changes to the version adopted by parliament. Parliamentary Chair Irakli Kobakhidze said on 6 October the bonus system — which would assign votes

Constitutional Reform

Opposition storms out as parliament passes constitutional reforms in Georgia

by OC Media

•2 min read

Georgia’s Parliament passed a package of constitutional amendments with 117 votes to 2 in its third and final reading on 26 September, despite objections from the president, opposition parties, and civil society groups. Parliamentary opposition parties the United National Movement and European Georgia boycotted the vote. Members of both parties stormed out of parliament calling the vote a ‘farce’. The changes will introduce a fully proportional system for electing MPs after 2024 while sev