Gender quotas was the only controversial issue debated in Parliament today

Gender quotas in the proportional list was the only issue that was controversial for MPs in amendments to the Electoral Code.

Part of the majority said that it was unacceptable to divide people into women and men, and that all people should be included in the list depending on how competent and professional they were.

Zaza Papuashvili said that people are assessed by their qualifications and knowledge and he did not think that the society should be divided into women and men, or married and single.

Irakli Kobakhidze, the author of the amendments to the Electoral Code and the former parliament speaker, noted that the introduction of gender quotas was a reasonable solution.

As for competence, no one can convince anyone that there are no 30 competent women in Georgia who deserve to be parliamentarians, - he said.

Eka Beselia, an independent MP, said the amendment was aimed at equality and fairness in the Electoral Code.

European Georgia states that these changes in the Electoral Code regarding quotas are not in line with the dignified principles of equality.

With this proposed quota system the main problem, which is the frequent discrimination of women in society and their absence in politics, cannot be solved. To solve this problem we need to fight against the root of the problem and not introduce such artificial, temporary measures," said Sergi Kapanadze, member of the Party's political council.

Another independent member of parliament Tamar Chugoshvili says the issue of quotas is a controversial one.

"This is not a new problem, almost in every society, there are both supporters and opponents. Although it is not an ideal mechanism and cannot solve all problems at once, it still helps the society and women to promote political participation," she said.

Correspondingly, Chugoshvili supported an amendment to the Electoral Code that provides for quotas for women.