Georgia demonstrators rally in front of government buildingNovember 21, 2019 - 16:47 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Demonstrators who have been protesting the rejection of the election bill since November 14 have gathered in front of the administration building of the government of Georgia in central Tbilisi on Wednesday, November 21, demanding snap parliamentary elections with the use of a fully proportional electoral system, conducted by an interim government, Agenda.ge reports. Protests in Tbilisi were sparked after the ruling Georgian Dream party-proposed election bill last week was scrapped, which offered a transition to a fully proportional electoral system starting 2020 instead of 2024. The ruling party accepted the change earlier in the summer, during June protests in Tbilisi, as it was one of the three demands of protesters to stop rallies. 40 ruling party MPs did not vote for the bill on November 14, leading to its rejection and repeated rallies. The government dispersed a rally on November 18 with the use of water cannons as demonstrators blocked the entrances of the parliament building. The opposition has announced that the parliament will be blocked again on November 26, “following a large-scale rally on November 25.” Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |