Six NGOs welcomed the passage of constitutional amendments in the first reading in a statement, which stressed the “full implementation of March 8 Agreement” is necessary for the amendments to become law.

The group hopes that “all political parties will assume responsibility to implement the March 8 Agreement and take reasonable steps towards promptly approving the changes in all three readings”.

“Improving the election system in the run-up to 2020 polls was crucial for stable and democratic political environment. Given current circumstances, voting in favor of the amendments was the only right decision – in the interests of the state.

The March 8 Agreement between the government and the opposition also called for resolving the issue of inappropriate politicization of Georgia’s judicial and electoral environment and of exploiting the judiciary against political opponents”, - reads the statement.

The joint statement is signed by Transparency International Georgia, Georgian Democracy Initiative, International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Partnership for Human Rights, Human Rights Center, and Institute for Development of Freedom of Information.