Political Finance Database

According to Georgian legislation, political parties may not accept donations from individuals and legal entities of foreign countries, international organizations, and movements, except for organizing lectures, seminars/workshops, and other similar public activities.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties/candidates may not accept donations from individuals and legal entities of foreign countries, international organizations, and movements, except for organizing lectures, seminars/workshops, and other similar public activities.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties are allowed to receive donations from corporations, companies, and/or business enterprises. Political parties may not accept donations from state bodies, state organizations, legal persons under public law, and state-owned enterprises.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties/candidates are allowed to receive donations from corporations, companies, and/or business enterprises. Candidates may not accept donations from state bodies, state organizations, legal persons under public law, and state-owned enterprises.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties are not allowed to receive donations from Trade Unions because their legal status is a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity established under the procedure provided for by the Civil Code of Georgia (Article 2, Law on Trade Unions, 1997). Article 26 of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens states that political parties may not accept donations from non-commercial legal entities, except for organizing lectures, seminars/workshops, and other similar public activities.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties/candidates are not allowed to receive donations from Trade Unions because their legal status is a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal entity established under the procedure provided for by the Civil Code of Georgia (Article 2, Law on Trade Unions, 1997). Article 26 of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens states that political parties may not accept donations from non-commercial legal entities, except for organizing lectures, seminars/workshops, and other similar public activities.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties may not accept donations from anonymous persons. When donating to a political party, a person shall indicate his/her full name and personal number. Otherwise, it will be considered as an anonymous donation.

According to Georgian legislation, candidates may not accept donations from anonymous persons. When donating to a political party, a person shall indicate his/her full name and personal number. Otherwise, it will be considered as an anonymous donation.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties are allowed to receive donations from corporations, companies, and/or business enterprises. Political parties may not accept donations from state bodies, state organizations, legal persons under public law, and state-owned enterprises.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties/candidates may not accept donations from state bodies, state organizations, legal persons under public law, state-owned enterprises, except for the cases set out in the law.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties may not accept donations from state bodies, state organizations, legal persons under public law, state-owned enterprises, except for the cases set out in the law.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties/candidates may not accept donations from state bodies, state organizations, legal persons under public law, state-owned enterprises, except for the cases set out in the law.

According to Georgian legislation, using state resources in favor of/or against a particular political party and/or candidate is banned. More specifically, Article 48 of the Election Code of Georgia states that any person having the right to participate in canvassing (according to Article 45(4) of the Election Code of Georgia) shall be prohibited from using administrative resources in the course of the election campaign in support of or against any political party, candidate for electoral subject, or electoral subject.

According to Georgian legislation, regulations limit the amounts that both an individual and a legal entity (organizations, companies, etc.) can donate/contribute to a political party for a certain period of time.

According to Georgian legislation, regulations limit the amounts that both an individual and a legal entity (organizations, companies, etc.) can donate/contribute to a political party for a certain period of time. In the pre-election period, the sources of funding of political parties are the same as in other periods.

According to Georgian legislation, regulations limit the amounts that both an individual donor and a legal entity (organizations, companies, etc.) can donate/contribute to a candidate.

According to Georgian legislation, the amount that candidates can contribute to their own electoral campaigns is regulated by Article 25(1) of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens, which determines the total amount of expenses incurred by an electoral subject.

According to Georgian legislation, in-kind contributions are permitted. The rules and regulations about the donations also apply to the in-kind contributions.

According to Georgian legislation, in-kind contributions are permitted. The rules and regulations about the donations also apply to the in-kind contributions.

According to Georgian legislation, allowed sources for political parties include: 1) membership fees; 2) donations; 3) sums allocated by the state established by law; 4) the annual income generated from designing and distributing symbols, organizing lectures, exhibitions, and other public activities, as well as from publishing and other activities pursued according to statutory objectives; such income may not exceed twice the amount of the basic minimum funding; and 5) a loan only from commercial banks operating in Georgia, which shall not exceed GEL 1 million in total over a calendar year.

According to Georgian legislation, a political party may take a loan only from commercial banks operating in Georgia, which shall not exceed GEL 1 million in total over a calendar year.

According to Georgian legislation, a political party/candidate may take a loan only from commercial banks operating in Georgia, which shall not exceed GEL 1 million in total over a calendar year.

According to Georgian legislation, no restriction exists that individuals or legal entities that have made donations to political parties/candidates are banned from participating in public tender or public procurement processes. Article 27 of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens regulates that a donor (to political party/candidates) may not be a legal person 15% of whose actual annual revenue for the previous calendar year or the election year up to Election Day, has been received from simplified state procurements conducted for the benefit of such legal person or the benefit of an enterprise established with the participation of such legal person.

According to Georgian legislation, membership fees of a political party, as well as donations made by citizens, shall be received only by a bank transfer. Donations may be transferred only from the account of a person making the donation or paying a membership fee, which is held with a commercial bank licensed in Georgia.

According to Georgian legislation, funds are allocated annually from the state budget to provide financial support to political parties in their activities and promote the party system’s development.

According to Georgian legislation, a political party, which received at least 1% of the real votes in the last parliamentary elections of Georgia, receives the public funding.

According to Georgian legislation, a political party will receive GEL 15 for each of the first 50,000 real votes and GEL 5 for each of the subsequent real votes.

According to Georgian legislation, during the election campaign, the National Broadcaster shall allot, not later than the 50th day before the Election Day, in every three hours no less than 7.5 minutes to broadcast free of charge, the pre-election advertisements, and broadcast based on equality and without discrimination, the pre-election advertisements submitted to it by each qualified electoral subject, on the condition that the time allotted to a qualified electoral subject during such period shall not exceed 90 seconds. The Georgian Public Broadcaster shall allot in every hour 5 minutes to broadcast free of charge.

The obligations provided by the Election Code of Georgia for equal allotment of airtime, creation of equal conditions for participating in debates, and for setting equal conditions for election advertising shall apply only to the broadcasters referred to in paragraphs 5, 6, and 6(1) of Article 51 of Election Code of Georgia and only in relation to qualified electoral subjects (a subject that is qualified for getting public funding).

According to Georgian legislation, during the election campaign, the National Broadcaster shall allot, not later than the 50th day before the Election Day, in every three hours no less than 7.5 minutes to broadcast free of charge, the pre-election advertisements, and broadcast based on equality and without discrimination, the pre-election advertisements submitted to it by each qualified electoral subject, on the condition that the time allotted to a qualified electoral subject during such period shall not exceed 90 seconds. The Georgian Public Broadcaster shall allot in every hour 5 minutes to broadcast free of charge.

According to Georgian legislation, a political party, which based on the parliamentary elections held before 2028 gets public funding (Article 30 of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens), shall receive an additional 30% of funding if, in the electoral list presented by this political party in the last parliamentary elections, includes one member of the opposite sex in each of three candidates.

According to Georgian legislation, a political party shall use an additional 30% of public funding (Article 39(1) of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens) for activities of the women’s organization.

According to Georgian legislation, bribing or influencing voters is banned. The action is regulated by three different laws/acts of Georgia. The detailed information about a definition and fine regarding the vote-buying can be found in Article 25(2) of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens; Article 47 of Election Code of Georgia; and Article 164(1) of Criminal Code of Georgia.

Georgian legislation limits the amount that the electoral subject can spend, either in the pre-election period or in other periods of time.

Georgian legislation limits the amount that the electoral subject can spend, either in the pre-election period or in other periods of time.

According to Georgian legislation, during the year, a total amount of expenses by the electoral subject may not exceed 0.1% of the GDP of Georgia of the previous year. This amount shall include expenses incurred by the electoral subject and another person in its favor, which have been determined by the State Audit Office, about which the relevant electoral subject has been notified.

According to Georgian legislation, there are no direct limitations on media advertising for the political parties and/or candidates. However, Georgian legislation imposes restrictions on media organizations that indirectly affect the advertising spending of political parties. Detailed information about these regulations can be found in Article 50 of the Election Code of Georgia.

According to Georgian legislation, there are no limits on social media advertising spending for political parties and/or candidates. In August 2020, Facebook Ad Library became available in Georgia, which to a certain extent improved transparency of sponsored posts with political content published on Facebook. 

According to Georgian legislation, there are no limitations on online and social media advertising for political parties and/or candidates. In August 2020, Facebook Ad Library became available in Georgia, which to a certain extent improved transparency of sponsored posts with political content published on Facebook. 

According to Georgian legislation, before February 1 of each year, a political party shall submit the financial disclosure statements of the previous year along with the auditor’s (auditing firm’s) report to the State Audit Office. The copies of the financial disclosure statements along with the copies of the auditor’s (auditing firm’s) report shall be sent to the local tax authority according to the legal address of a political party. A political party shall keep financial disclosure statements and all associated documents for six years and shall perform the obligations under the tax legislation of Georgia for maintaining and storing source documents. A political party whose annual turnover does not exceed GEL 10,000 may submit an annual financial disclosure statement without an auditor’s report.

According to Georgian legislation, a candidate for an electoral subject/electoral subject shall submit a relevant financial report to the State Audit Office once every three weeks from the day of calling the elections, in the form prescribed by the State Audit Office. An electoral subject that, according to preliminary data, receives the number of votes required by the Election Code of Georgia in the elections shall submit a report on the funds used as of the polling day to the State Audit Office not later than 12 days after the polling day. An electoral subject participating in the second round of elections is obliged to submit the financial report on the activities carried out after the polling day of the first round of elections to the State Audit Office, three days before the day of the second round of elections. Not later than one month after the publication of the election results, and not later than one month after the publication of the results of the second round, an electoral subject shall submit to the State Audit Office, together with the audit report (an audit firm), a report on the funds used from the day of calling the elections until the day of publishing the final election results. An auditor certified in accordance with the Organic Law of Georgia on the State Audit Office shall have the right to conduct an audit. Unless the election campaign expenses exceed GEL 10,000, the electoral subject shall have the right to submit a full election period report without an audit report.

According to Georgian legislation, a candidate for an electoral subject/electoral subject shall submit a relevant financial report to the State Audit Office once every three weeks from the day of calling the elections, in the form prescribed by the State Audit Office. An electoral subject that, according to preliminary data, receives the number of votes required by the Election Code of Georgia in the elections shall submit a report on the funds used as of the polling day to the State Audit Office not later than 12 days after the polling day. An electoral subject participating in the second round of elections is obliged to submit the financial report on the activities carried out after the polling day of the first round of elections to the State Audit Office, three days before the day of the second round of elections. Not later than one month after the publication of the election results, and not later than one month after the publication of the results of the second round, an electoral subject shall submit to the State Audit Office, together with the audit report (an audit firm), a report on the funds used from the day of calling the elections until the day of publishing the final election results. An auditor certified in accordance with the Organic Law of Georgia on the State Audit Office shall have the right to conduct an audit. Unless the election campaign expenses exceed GEL 10,000, the electoral subject shall have the right to submit a full election period report without an audit report.

According to Georgian legislation, information on the donations received by a political party is public. The State Audit Office shall ensure access to the given information under the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia. Every month, the State Audit Office shall make the information on the donations received by a political party available to the public by publishing the relevant data on its website.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties and/or candidates are required to report on the identity of the persons or entities that have provided donations. The State Audit Office shall ensure access to the given information under the procedure established by the legislation of Georgia.

According to Georgian legislation, the disclosure statement of a political party shall include the annual income of a political party (including the amounts of membership fees and donations, the identities of citizens who paid membership fees, information on citizens and legal persons who made donations, sums allocated by the state or those received as a result of publications and other activities of a party); as well as reports on property ownership (the number and type of owned buildings and vehicles, their total value, the amount of funds in their bank accounts). A party’s financial disclosure statement shall separately present the income and expenditure statement of funds used for elections.

According to Georgian legislation, political parties and/or candidates in their financial reports must specify information about each item of spending, and they must submit detailed information about their spending. More specifically, Article 32 of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens states that the disclosure statement of a political party shall include expenditures of a political party incurred for elections, for funding various activities, for remuneration, business trips, and other expenses.

According to Georgian legislation, the State Audit Office has a mandate to receive financial statements from political parties and/or candidates, either regularly or in the pre-election period.

According to Georgian legislation, the State Audit Office carries out monitoring over the legality and transparency of political parties’ and/or candidates’ financial activities.

According to Georgian legislation, the State Audit Office carries out monitoring over the legality and transparency of political parties’ and/or candidates’ financial activities. Article 34(1) of Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens lists the precise responsibilities that State Audit Office has.

According to Georgian legislation, different types of sanctions may be applied in case of offenses related to a political party or campaign finance. For example, if a political party fails to submit a financial disclosure statement to the State Audit Office on time, the State Audit Office shall warn a political party and request the rectification of the failure within five days. If a political party still fails to submit the financial disclosure statement within the specified five days to the State Audit Office, it shall forfeit the right to receive public funding for the following year (Article 34 of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens, 1997). Also, in Article 34(2) of the Organic Law of Georgia on Political Associations of Citizens detailed list of fines is listed.