Amendment No. 8 | Doc. 13588 | 30 September 2014
The functioning of democratic institutions in Georgia
In the draft resolution, paragraph 2, replace the first and second sentences with the following sentences:
"The otherwise smooth handover of power was accompanied by a polarised and antagonistic political climate caused by the oppression of the opposition and the free media during the 2012 electoral campaign and widespread human rights abuses and corruption under the previous government, which led to more than 20,000 citizen complaints being lodged within the first 2 months of the new government. The period of cohabitation between the then President Mikheil Saakashvili and the Georgian Dream coalition government was challenging. The Assembly regrets that tensions sometimes overshadowed the many positive changes that took place in the democratic environment of Georgia, but recognises the efforts made by the Georgian authorities to overcome this polarisation by offering an amnesty to former government officials accused of abuses and by maintaining continuity within the professional civil service. The Assembly also notes the successes of this historic period of cohabitation with numerous bipartisan initiatives approved by the Parliament such as the Resolution on Foreign Policy of March 2013."
Explanatory note
The cohabitation demonstrated the maturity of the political system. Cohabitation did not paralyse Georgia; this was a period of reforms and many of the fundamental bills passed were bipartisan. The new government ensured the continuity of the civil service. As for the amnesty for former government officials, it was rejected by the opposition.