The Parliament of Georgia passed constitutional amendments in the first reading, but the bill did not include the appointment process of the Prosecutor General. This clause was negotiated and agreed upon between the Georgian Dream (GD) and opposition parties in the EU-meditated April 19 Deal. Despite withdrawing from the deal on July 28, GD reiterated its commitment to implement the judicial reforms and adopt the Constitutional amendments laid out in the April 19 Agreement.
The US Embassy and EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Harzell both issued statements slamming Georgian Dream’s abrogation on key commitment of the April 19 EU-mediated agreement concerning the more inclusive procedure of electing Prosecutor General. Yesterday, the Georgian Dream majority in parliament turned down the legislative package drafted in line with the Agreement thereby maintaining its grip on the State Prosecution.
“This is yet another broken promise by the ruling party to make the much-needed judicial reforms that Georgian Dream and opposition party leaders have pledged, of their own accord, to adopt.” It further says, that “Georgian Dream and opposition parties pledged to renew their efforts to work together in Parliament in good faith to implement key reforms to the judicial system. They should follow through on their commitment to conduct an inclusive, multi-party assessment of the previous waves of judicial reform and develop initiatives that will further improve judicial transparency, impartiality, and accountability,” the US Embassy statement said.
The EU reaction was equally strongly worded, also stressing the conditionality of EU aid, amid Georgian Dream turning down the Macro Financial Assistance. “We reiterate that while the European Union remains fully committed to support Georgia’s reforms in line with the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, the EU’s assistance to Georgia remains conditional on progress on key reforms,” the statement read.
The Georgian Dream aggressively dismissed the criticism. “To put it mildly, it is difficult to comprehend the statement of the Embassies (i.e. US Embassy and Delegation of the EU to Georgia). I will tell you more - they have lost touch with reality and it must be said directly,” a GD MP Irakli Zarkua said.
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