Georgia - October 2024

International election observers criticized the conduct of Georgia’s 2024 parliamentary election, citing widespread pressure on voters to support the ruling party, the underrepresentation of women (partly due to the removal of gender quotas), limited campaign finance oversight that favoured the ruling Georgian Dream party, and more. Observers also found the election to be “marred by concerns over recently adopted legislation [and] its impact on fundamental freedoms and civil society.” Data analysts also found evidence of irregular patterns in electoral precinct data that indicated some degree of vote-buying, ballot stuffing, or other activities in favour of Georgian Dream. The domestic opposition pledged to boycott the incoming Parliament, Sweden suspended development cooperation with the Georgian government, and US President Joe Biden and other Western officials called on the Georgian government to fully investigate reports of electoral interference and voter pressure.  

Sources: OSCE, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Civil.ge 

UPDATE: Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) certified the results of the election on 16 November. The announcement was disrupted when a representative of the opposition United National Movement threw black paint in the face of CEC chair Giorgi Kalandarishvili. Georgian rights NGOs accused the country’s courts of ‘fast-tracking’ and rejecting lawsuits challenging the conduct of October parliamentary elections in order to ensure results could be certified as scheduled. Parliament was inaugurated on 25 November, and legal experts argue the ruling Georgian Dream party’s decision to do so was unconstitutional, as the Constitutional Court was still reviewing a case lodged by President Salome Zourabichvili contesting the validity of the election. 

New Sources: OC Media, Netgazeti, RBC Ukraine 

On 26 October, Georgia held a parliamentary election in which all 150 seats were contested under a fully proportional system for the first time. The incumbent right-wing Georgian Dream remained the largest party and won 89 seats with a vote share of 53.93 per cent. The centre-right Coalition for Change secured 19 seats with a vote share of 11.03 per cent. The Unity National Movement became the third-largest coalition, securing 16 seats with a vote share of 10.17 per cent. President Salome Zourabichvili, along with the opposition and civil society, have rejected the results of the election and have called for protests against the ruling party. Election observation missions have expressed concern about possible intimidation and vote buying surrounding the election. Voter turnout in the election stood at 58.73 per cent, a slight increase from the 2020 turnout of 56.75 per cent. 

Sources: Associated Press, British Broadcasting Corporation, Election Administration of Georgia, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe