“Democracy is the issue of the global security and the instrument for its achievement. Against the series of global and local challenges, vivid democracy – dynamic and effective institutions, governance and democratic processes – is necessary for the prevention of chaos and satisfaction of the needs of the citizens. Joint actions are necessary for the protection of democracy – the Parliament of Georgia is committed to closely cooperating with other Parliaments in this view”, - the Speaker, Kakha Kuchava stated at the 143rd IPU General Assembly in Madrid.

According to him, the strong political polarization and the radical political rhetoric are the real threat to democracy.

“When we speak about our ambitious plans, we shall also remember that our governance systems encounter the essential threats. The strong political polarization and radical political rhetoric pose a real threat to democracy and our society. We need to restore the trust in the state institutions and revive democratic development. We may not agree on certain themes – it is a necessity for democracy, though we encounter unprecedented polarization during the last decade. The pandemic has further aggravated the political stability and the pandemic-related restrictions facilitated further growth of political polarization. Today, polarization is highly acute and endlessly divides society and Georgia is not an exception as well. Political polarization is the challenge for the society in Georgia too, aggravated by the occupation of 20% of our territories – historical regions Abkhazia and Tskhinvali by Russia. The residents of these regions are the victims of the violence and unjustified restrictions on an ethnic basis. They have to fight for life on a daily basis, they are deprived of access to due medical treatment, education and their legal interests are grossly ignored. I believe that the enhancement of democratic sustainability and the development of a strong society requires innovative, brave and joint strategies, which preferably shall include: construction of sustainable communities and societies; strong local authorities, schools, families and public institutions, unification of their efforts are necessary for the enhancement of democracy; besides, the political actors, media, civil society – all shall play their role in giving the real context to the democracy and build the citizen-oriented future where each person will be capable to realize own skills; and the third – we all shall re-discover the role of the Parliament in the protection of democracy and prevention of conversion of the political competition into the destructive polarization. The population has entrusted their future and dreams to us – this immense legitimation and responsibility shall not vanish. The construction of a peaceful society with welfare requires the Parliament to keep the progress in democratic development, human rights protection, effective state institutions and pro-Western foreign policy, to conduct new and essential reforms. It will have a positive effect on our intention to make an application for EU membership in 2024. Being the Speaker of the Parliament, I made the facilitation of constructive and inclusive dialogue as a priority in the Parliament. We shall all be engaged in the discussions oriented to the outcomes. It is a new and interesting process now, since providing the Constitutional reform of 2017-2018 and the new Rules of Procedure, the Georgian Parliament possesses the strong instruments for effective legislative and oversight activity to protect the best interests of the Georgian population; and the last – we are lucky to live on this vivid and diverse planet, and our future generations also deserve such life. Climate changes negatively affect us all regardless of our place of residence. We need to act right now to create a healthy and sustainable future for our children. The Parliaments shall lead this process”, - the Speaker stated.