The US Department of State is responding to the adoption of constitutional amendments by the Georgian Parliament.
The statement says that the United States welcomes Georgia's approval of historic constitutional changes that will ensure a more proportional electoral system.
"Enacted as a result of the important March 8 agreement among a majority of political parties, they will help promote greater stability and parliamentary pluralism in Georgia's October parliamentary elections.
We urge Georgia's Parliament to pass election reform legislation that fully incorporates OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, and Georgia's authorities to effectively implement such legislation," reads the statement.
According to the statement by US Department of State, a key test for Georgia's democratic evolution will be the holding of a free, fair, and transparent electoral process that represents the choice of the Georgian people.
"The fairness of the pre-election and post-election periods is equally as important as the conduct of election day. The United States will continue to support Georgia's efforts to strengthen its democracy, electoral practices, and the rule of law, as well as its broader Euro-Atlantic aspirations, which are among the best defenses against Russian aggression," the statement says.
The Parliament adopted constitutional amendments with 117 in favor and three against during the third hearing, regarding the move to a new electoral system.
Bidzina Gegidze and Kakha Okriashvili from the Georgian Dream and independent deputy Alexandre Erkvania, who left the majority a few months ago in protest, did not support the changes.
Opposition factions - the United National Movement and European Georgia, did not take part in the voting process. Opposition lawmakers said they would only support the changes if Giorgi Rurua were released.
A total of 113 votes were needed to pass the constitutional amendments.
According to the constitutional amendments, the 2020 parliamentary elections will occur under a mixed electoral system 120/30 and a 1% threshold.
The bill covers the so-called 40% shutdown mechanism, which means that a party that receives less than 40.54% support in the 2020 parliamentary elections under the proportional system will not be able to independently form a government.
