Another Georgian parliament deputy speaker leaves parliamentary majority
TBILISI. Nov 15 (Interfax) - Georgian Parliament Deputy Speaker Zviad Dzidziguri has decided to sever his ties with the country's ruling party Georgian Dream.
"Yesterday, after a vote in parliament on a bill to amend the electoral system, when 40 deputies from the [parliamentary] majority refused to support it, my relations with Georgian Dream came to an end," Dzidziguri said at a press briefing on Friday.
He said that he has never betrayed "the team," but will not stay "in a team where others don't keep their word."
Nine MPs, among them First Deputy Parliament Speaker Tamara Chugoshvili, exited the parliamentary majority on Thursday.
Parliamentary majority members' refusal to support the bill amending the country's electoral system triggered a mass protest from society and the opposition. The ruling party's leader Bidzina Ivanishvili earlier suggested holding parliamentary elections based on proportional representation in 2020. Such a decision was agreed with all parliamentary majority MPs, but fell short of the required number of votes on Thursday.