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Part 2
"A capping mechanism will define that no single party that receives less than 40% of the votes cast is allowed to receive a majority of seats in the Parliament. Further caps and provisions will be introduced in the legislation with the aim of facilitating a more proportional distribution of mandates relative to the votes received by the parties.

"The 30 electoral districts will be drawn in compliance with the relevant ruling of the Georgian Constitutional Court and the Venice Commission recommendation, suggesting that the deviation from the average electorate size of districts should not exceed 15%. Preference should always be given to creating districts within the same region unless the distribution of the electorate requires otherwise. Up to three limited exceptions from the above districting rules can be introduced throughout the country in the interest of encouraging the representation of ethnic minority groups, citizens residing in mountainous regions, or for accommodating particular geographic needs.

"The Parliamentary majority will publicly present its proposed mapping of electoral districts, in line with the principles described above, no later than ten days from initiating the constitutional amendments in the Parliament.

"Should there be early parliamentary elections between 2020 and 2024, the first such election will be held based on the election system guiding the 2020 elections. Any subsequent elections will be held based on the fully proportional election system as foreseen for the 2024 Parliamentary Elections.

"The undersigned party declares full support for the above changes and commits to ensuring its affirmative votes in the Parliament to pass the constitutional amendments”.

Brock Bierman, USAID Assistant Administrator, has also echoed the agreement between the sides, expressing support toward Georgia's democratic future on behalf of the Organization.

"We are encouraged by this weekend's agreement and look forward to Parliament's full adoption of electoral reforms leading to free, fair, and transparent 2020 elections. USAID will continue to support progress toward the democratic future that all Georgians deserve", Bierman wrote on social media.

Congressman Adam Kinzinger, who is Co-chair of the Friends of Georgia Group in the United States Congress, responded to the agreement.

"My heartfelt 'congrats' to the people of Georgia for reaching an agreement on the 2020 parliamentary elections. Democracy is hard work, but worth it. Speaker Talakvadze and many others deserve appreciation for their work," the Republican Congressman tweeted.

Kinzinger was among those US congressmen who warned the Georgian Dream of the possible complications to expect if they failed to reach an agreement on the 2020 parliamentary election system with opposition members.

Posted by Madpunter on the 10th Mar :-

GD & Opposition Agreement Named Important Step to Democracy by Major Intl' Allies

Facilitators of the dialogue between Georgia’s political parties released a statement on the agreement achieved between the opposition and the government on Sunday March 8.

“We congratulate the participants of the political dialogue on [Sunday’s] successful agreement, which represents a crucial step towards the depolarization and normalization of the political environment in Georgia in the run-up to the parliamentary elections later this year.

"Today’s agreement foresees an election system for 2020 based on 120 proportional mandates and 30 majoritarian mandates, a fair composition of election districts, a 1% threshold, and a cap recognizing that no single party that wins less than 40% of the votes should be able to get its own majority in the next parliament.

"The agreement is accompanied by a joint statement among the sides outlining the agreement and recognizing the wider objective of holding free and fair elections, including the necessity of addressing actions that could be perceived as an inappropriate politicization of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes and of avoiding any such actions in the future.

"We recognize today’s agreement as a stepping-stone on Georgia’s democratic path. We call on all sides to adhere to it and to safeguard its successful adoption in Parliament and subsequent implementation, for the benefit of the people and country of Georgia,” reads the statement.

After four rounds of talks and negotiations that ended without results, representatives of the Georgian government and opposition on March 8 reached the agreement on the electoral model.

The above decision was announced after a meeting held at the US Ambassador's residence, which was attended by a newly appointed US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan and EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell.

"This is a great benefit for all Georgians," Hartzell said after the meeting. “All parties achieved an agreement…I want to congratulate everyone that a compromise has been achieved,” the Ambassador said.

The US Embassy to Georgia released the text of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the opposition and the government, expressing pleasure that the participants of the political dialogue reached a successful agreement, which is "an important step in the run-up to the parliamentary elections."

“The undersigned parties agree to support changes to the election system based on the following draft text of the Constitution’s transitional provision defining the rules for the 2020 Parliamentary Elections,” the MoU reads.

"The elected Parliament shall consist of 120 members elected through the proportional system and 30 members elected through the majoritarian system. The electoral threshold for proportional elections shall be set at 1%.

Posted by Madpunter on the 9th Mar :-

EU: The agreement is a very welcome, important and visible signal of political leadership from all sides

The Spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union has released statement on the agreement reached between the opposition and the government on the electoral system.

According to the statement, the agreement is important and visible signal of political leadership from all sides which reflects a desire to decrease the unhealthy political polarisation in Georgia.

“On Sunday, all the main political parties in Georgia reached an agreement on constitutional amendments related to the election system in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding. The parties also signed a Joint Statement underlining the importance of free and fair parliamentary elections in 2020 and on the need to avoid actions that could be perceived as inappropriate politicisation of Georgia’s judicial and electoral processes. This was the outcome of more than three months of intense negotiations facilitated by the representatives of the European Union, Germany, the Council of Europe and the United States in Georgia.

This agreement is a very welcome, important and visible signal of political leadership from all sides which reflects a desire to decrease the unhealthy political polarisation in Georgia. We congratulate all the signatories as they have put the interests of the Georgian citizens and the consolidation of Georgia's democracy first.

We trust that all sides will adhere to the agreement and ensure its successful adoption in the Parliament in the coming weeks and later on effective implementation. We also call on all parties to swiftly and fully address the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations following the last elections, in order to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections attain the highest level of confidence by the Georgian people and the international community,” reads the statement.

https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/106218-eu-the-agreement-is-a-very-welcome-important-and-visible-signal-of-political-leadership-from-all-sides

Posted by Madpunter on the 9th Mar :-

MEP Viola Von Cramon Praises the Agreed Electoral Decision

The agreement which has been reached between the government and the opposition has received praise and welcoming gestures from our allies and friends in the West. One of the reviewers of the successful negotiations is the current member of the European Parliament, Viola Von Cramon, of Germany.

“Big congrats to people of #Georgia with the achieved breakthrough in electoral negotiations. Geo Gov & opposition demonstrated political maturity & brought their country one big step closer to genuine democracy." writes Cramon on twitter.

The two negotiating sides reached the concluding agreement after they met at the residency of the American Ambassador. The facilitator delegates of the negotiations also made comments about the outcome. According to the facilitators, the agreement contains passages in which the 2020 elections will be held at 120/30 standard. This means the 120 representatives will be elected proportionally, while 30 will be elected by the majority mandate. The agreement also contains a 1% minimum access barrier and the ‘ceiling’, which entails that any party receiving less than 40% of the votes will not be able to create a parliamentary majority.

By B.Alexishvili

http://georgiatoday.ge/news/19793/MEP-Viola-Von-Cramon-Praises-the-Agreed-Electoral-Decision

Kinzinger's Statement on Georgia's Election Agreement

Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Co-chair of the Friends of Georgia Group in the United States Congress, has released the following statement after the Georgian government reached an agreement on making pro-democracy reforms for the 2020 parliamentary election:

“Democracy is not easy—it’s hard work, but it is undoubtedly worth it. I want to congratulate the Georgian people on achieving the pro-democracy reforms they’ve long fought to achieve. I applaud the efforts of all parties involved in these negotiations, including the Speaker of Georgia Archil Talakvadze and the U.S. Embassy in Georgia under Ambassador Kelly Degnan. It has been a long road to this agreement, but through compromise and maturity, the necessary steps to secure democracy has finally been reached.

“As co-chair of the House Georgia Caucus, I’m proud to have played a role in navigating through these conversations and I will continue to be available to help ensure Georgia remains an important partner for the United States. This agreement will strengthen their democracy, and helps bring them one step closer to a NATO partnership and eventual membership. I look forward to visiting Georgia again in the future as we continue to build on this positive momentum.”

By Ana Dumbadze

http://georgiatoday.ge/news/19792/Kinzinger

Posted by Madpunter on the 9th Mar :-

Archil Talakvadze: I can tell you directly that we have not made specific decisions in relation to any person mentioned by the opposition
I can tell you directly that we have not made specific decisions in relation to any person mentioned by the opposition, - Parliament Speaker Archil Talakvadze said at a news conference today, responding to opposition members' claims that an agreement has been reached with regard to the release of Gigi Ugulava, Irakli Okruashvili, Giorgi Rurua and Besik Tamliani.

According to Talakvadze, political parties agreed that the justice system should not be used by any party for political purposes and that no one should try to influence the judiciary politically.

“We, political parties, have agreed that the justice system should not be used by any party for political purposes and that no one should try to influence the judiciary politically. Our goal has been and will be the rule of law, where justice cannot be part of political processes. No other specific agreement is outlined in this document and you can read the specific text of this agreement. Consequently, I can tell you directly that we have not made specific decisions in relation to any person mentioned by the opposition,” said Archil Talakvadze.

https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/106208-archil-talakvadze-i-can-tell-you-directly-that-we-have-not-made-specific-decisions-in-relation-to-any-person-mentioned-by-the-opposition

German Ambassador says by implementing yesterday’s agreement, Georgia will avoid an impression that it is stepping back on the path of democracy
The German Ambassador to Georgia, Hubert Knirsch, believes that by implementing the agreement between the ruling party and the opposition, Georgia will avoid an impression that it is stepping back on the path of democracy.

As the German ambassador told InterPressNews, international partners support Georgia's democratic development, not the victory of any particular party.

“I see that there is a good will of all political parties to implement this agreement. Thus, Georgia will avoid an impression that it is stepping back on the path of democracy. This is what international partners support. They support the democratic and social development of Georgia and not the victory of any particular party," Hubert Knirsch told InterPressNews.
https://www.interpressnews.ge/en/article/106209-german-ambassador-says-by-implementing-yesterdays-agreement-georgia-will-avoid-an-impression-that-it-is-stepping-back-on-the-path-of-democracy

Posted by Looed on the 8th Mar :-

Pt.5
The Democrats have fully embraced the bogeyman of Russian interference. They use this as a blanket means of explaining everything they don’t like — from American capitalism’s unpredictable manager Trump, to the social-democratic hopeful Bernie Sanders. At the end of the day, small-time congressmen being bought and paid by Frontera isn’t the main issue — and the problem goes deeper than companies writing checks during elections. For these lobbyists wouldn’t go far if the entire political environment in Washington wasn’t so open to their adventures abroad. The real problem is that there is no discussion in either party about how anti-Russian rhetoric has been used over the last three decades to turn poverty-stricken post-Soviet regions into sources of corporate plunder.

The Georgian government — weak, fractured, and politically dependent on Western goodwill — is badly bruised by the denunciations to which it has been subjected in the US Senate. Fearing more retaliation, it has backed off from pursuing Frontera in the Georgian courts — a move which would have given it temporary control over company management and the ability to hire back the fired workers. This is an egregious example of political blackmail, as a company widely acknowledged to be fraudulent continues to be forced upon Georgia.

While US officials emptily complain of “Russian interference,” the government and the population in Georgia is completely stripped of their own sovereignty. It seems that Georgians can’t make basic decisions without parts of the US government having their say first. In the name of stopping Russian intervention, the Americans grant themselves the right to intervene; in the name of protecting democracy, they stop Georgians having any say over what a foreign firm does on its soil.

Source -https://jacobinmag.com/2020/03/frontera-resources-georgia-republican-congressmen-russian-interference/

Note - Jacobinmag states it "is a leading voice of the American left, offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. The print magazine is released quarterly and reaches 50,000 subscribers, in addition to a web audience of over 2,000,000 a month."

Posted by Looed on the 8th Mar :-

Pt.4
Some even described lavish Texan country clubs packed with US government figures, which they had visited during work trips. One said, “I’ve only had my fill of caviar twice in my life: during the Soviet Union when it was everywhere and in those country clubs.”
Why couldn’t Frontera Resources strike gold? Its initial business plan focused on Azerbaijan and Georgia. Azerbaijan was the real cash cow with actual “gushing wells,” but that country’s government couldn’t reach an agreement on the division of revenues and soon Frontera was limited to Georgia alone. Simply put, Georgian production levels aren’t enough to rake in exorbitant profits. There may be more deposits, but the investment required isn’t worth it for many financiers; it could prove fruitless, whereas they want to bet on a sure thing. Trying to overcome this problem, Frontera resorted to all kinds of tricks, fiddling shares prices by disseminating overly optimistic but factually sparse statements and attracting investors by posing as a vendor of America’s favorite export, “freedom.”

This same business plan, based on selling freedom (and energy independence) from Russia, had already been taken to Moldova — with disastrous results. In that ex-Soviet republic, Frontera got a fifty-year license to explore hydrocarbons in 2017 despite the protests coming from NGOs and experts. In 2019, their contract was suspended since Frontera had not honored the agreement by carrying out any activity. Frontera had claimed there would be significant discoveries of gas in Moldova despite the common knowledge that the deposits are at best lackluster. In the same fashion, any doubt or protest against Frontera during these two years was considered “fake news” and tied to Moscow.

Frontera’s hired congressmen are Republicans — and more or less obscure figures. But it was the Clinton administration that set the stage for American oligarchs and carpetbaggers to enter into the post-Soviet world. They promised an idealized vision of the West and freedom from Russia, only to take advantage of the weakened population and the confused ruling class and complete deregulation in order to turn a profit. Both US parties are complicit in enabling this exploitation. It’s no accident that Joe Biden’s son Hunter is involved in the energy business in Ukraine — he is one of dozens and dozens of politically connected businessmen like Bill White, who sought to profit from the energy sector, all the while cloaking themselves as freedom fighters in the great contest of “the West versus Russia.”

Posted by Looed on the 8th Mar :-

Pt.3
The clash also involves both ecological concerns and controversy over poor labor relations. The government has now submitted its grievances to international arbitration in Stockholm, paying millions in legal fees — a heavy burden on this small country’s budget.
While Frontera’s ambition to reach new heights was undercut by its own questionable business practices, ninety-two Georgian workers face unemployment — and they say they are missing a full year’s pay. In a tiny and destitute country with high unemployment, especially in outlying regions, these workers and their families are left without any future job prospects — and no social safety net to bail them out.

Frontera’s dramas aren’t all that surprising — indeed, this has been described as a troubled enterprise for well over a decade. Operating in Georgia since 1997, the firm has long sold itself to investors as what Dallas Morning News described as “one gushing well away from success.” Except that gushing well came not in the form of oil, but as shares on the stock market.

White personally was saved from his bad investments in 2005, as Frontera was put up for public trading. This raised $88.7 million for the company and allowed him to sell his shares for high prices — recuperating his investment even while many investors lost everything. It looks like Steve Nicandros was trying to recapture that spirit when he claimed that groundbreaking deposits had been discovered — and that all that was needed to begin commercializing them, he insisted, was sufficient investment and the application of new technology. This financial scheme is called “pump and dump” — an attempt to raise stock prices through exaggerated claims.

Stock prices went up for a while, but there was insufficient evidence for the grand promises being made — and the edifice eventually began to crumble. Last year Frontera Resources was removed from the Alternative Investment Market (AIM), a submarket of the London Stock Exchange. The company has been mired in a series of lawsuits from its own lawyers, investors, and governments. According to the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, Frontera hasn’t been a member since the beginning of 2019. Workers ranging from geologists to field-workers claim the company hasn’t been able to pay their salaries for the last two years.

When asked why they continued working there anyway, they replied that given the company’s deep connection to US officials there was no way it wouldn’t be able to pull off the miracle it promised. None of the workers believed this was the end of Frontera. After all, this firm had shown an amazing ability to hold on to the oil and gas fields in the country — outmaneuvering every Georgian government — until it was summarily fired in fall 2019.

Posted by Looed on the 8th Mar :-

Pt.2
He can be credited with making the Caspian region a national security issue for the United States — an “achievement” of the Clinton administration supported by its successors.
This national security policy promised that the American government would come to the aid of oil companies if Russia interfered. How to secure American support in the region for years and decades to come? By building an oil pipeline through the Caucasus, stretching from Baku, Azerbaijan to Ceyhan, Turkey.

Indeed, White’s interest in Georgia was hardly just a matter of “public service.” For having pushed this line in office, he set up Frontera Resources, an oil and gas company that would be protected through his own policies in the Caucasus. At the nexus of state and corporate power, Frontera is today run by Steve Nicandros, whose father was chairman of the multinational oil and gas company Conoco.

Through his role in the Clinton administration, White made contacts in the region that would help him set up the firm. He went on to become the mayor of Houston even while remaining on Frontera’s board. Indeed, the last time anyone investigated his ventures in the Caucasus was during the 2010 Texas gubernatorial race. Rick Perry, who ultimately won the election, refused to debate White unless he released his tax returns from his time in the Clinton administration and as chair of the Texas Democratic Party. The Perry campaign went after White’s investments — one of which was Frontera — and claimed that during Hurricanes Rita and Katrina he had diverted taxpayer money toward a company he had a personal interest in.

Yet White was unabashed in connecting his private business interests to high-minded patriotic ideals. As he put it, “I had an interest in the former Soviet Union before I went into government, during government, and after government. I thought it was critically important that the United States and the whole West try to teach good models of free enterprise over there.” Indeed, Frontera had many government contacts: its initial investors and advisers included a former CIA director and a former treasury secretary.

Overreach

But today Frontera has overreached — and faces expulsion from Georgia. The contract between the firm and the government is confidential and its details can’t be confirmed. But Georgian authorities have cited a list of reasons for breaking ties. They say that the territory under licensing is too large and encompasses lands not meant to be used for extraction; that not all the promised investment has been realized; that most drilling still occurs in Soviet-era wells and there are no new ones; and that the parties are in dispute over the claimed amount of oil and gas deposits and those actually commercialized.

Posted by Looed on the 8th Mar :-

Article - "When the Carpetbaggers Came to Georgia (the One Near Russia)"
A bit of a bashing from the USA - Pt.1.

"Founded by a former Clinton aide, Frontera is a failed oil firm known for its bid for domination in the former Soviet Union. Now, US congressmen are trying to stop it being expelled from Georgia — blaming its well-deserved legal woes on mythical “Russian interference.”
claims flooded in of “Russian support” for Bernie Sanders, some members of Congress were more concerned about the democratic deficit elsewhere. In recent weeks, the former Soviet republic of Georgia has received a series of open letters from US lawmakers warning that its fledgling democracy is in danger — as is an American oil and gas company operating there, Frontera Resources. But there’s something a bit odd going on — for every single congressman who mentioned Frontera by name has, in fact, received money from the company.

Among the half-dozen “rent-a-congressmen,” the Texas Republican Pete Olson went furthest in using his platform to push the lobbyists’ agenda. As the House of Representatives discussed bills related to Iran on January 28, Congressman Olson made a comical (and completely off-topic) speech on Georgia. He compared its ruling party’s leader, Bidzina Ivanishvili, to Oscar the Grouch on the grounds that “they are both puppets that have trashed their own house.” He went on to accuse the omnipotent Vladimir Putin of undermining Frontera — a firm which, he said, has created great jobs in Georgia. There are ninety-two workers fired by the company who would beg to differ — they’re missing between eleven and fourteen months in pay from the last couple of years.

As per usual, members of Congress are conflating the state of Georgian democracy with unfettered capitalism — or rather, with US business interests doing whatever the hell they like. This kind of interference is hardly new. But rather more novel is the specific US foothold in Georgia, the result of the Caspian Policy brokered by the Clinton administration. Pinning its failures to “Russian interference” just looks like desperation — expressed by congressmen paid handsomely to stand up for corporate interests.

The real issue here isn’t about failing Georgian democracy, at least in the way that these congressmen talk about it. It’s about how US businesses rely on state power to spread their model of “free enterprise” in the former USSR — and how a private oil and gas firm built on Clinton’s interventions in the Caucasus came to be presented as the “victim” of Russian meddling.

The Caspian Oil Pipeline

Seeing all things Georgian as a microcosm of a great strategic contest with Russia is hardly new. Bill White, a deputy secretary of energy under Clinton, was the architect of the “tough on Russia” policy.

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