On December 19, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) issued a statement on the rushed adoption by the “illegitimate” GD Parliament of amendments to the Electoral Code, which increase the share of the majoritarian component in the mixed electoral system for the elections to the City Council (Sakrebulo), and raise the electoral threshold during. “These changes are another example of how the Georgian Dream uses the legislative process to pursue its narrow political interests and maintain power at all costs,” ISFED stresses.
The watchdog notes that through these amendments the GD party abolishes all the changes in the municipal electoral system adopted in 2021 according to the political agreement reached between political parties, mediated by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, under which the last municipal elections were held.
According to the new amendments:
- In the 50-member Tbilisi Sakrebulo, 25 seats will be distributed according to the majoritarian system instead of 10, while the number of deputies elected according to the proportional system will be reduced from 40 to 25;
- In other self-governing cities (Kutaisi, Batumi, Rustavi, Poti), the number of Sakrebulo members will be reduced from 35 to 25. At the same time, the number of deputies elected on the basis of the majoritarian system will increase from 7 to 10, and the number of deputies elected on the basis of the proportional system will decrease from 28 to 15;
- In self-governing municipalities, the Sakrebulos will consist of 15 members elected proportionally and 1 majoritarian member elected from each settlement. Additional majoritarian seats will be allocated in administrative centers based on voter population: 2 seats for 4,000-10,000 voters, 3 for 10,000-20,000, 4 for 20,000-35,000, and 5 for over 35,000 voters. This rule is identical to the pre-2021 rule, increasing the proportion of majoritarian seats and reducing proportional mandates. Currently, 1/3 of Sakrebulo seats are majoritarian, while 2/3 are proportional, compared to an average of 49% majoritarian mandates before 2021.
- The proposed amendments also increase the electoral thresholds set for the electoral subjects in the proportional component. In particular, in Tbilisi the threshold will be raised from 2.5% to 4%, and in other municipalities from 3% to 4%.
The watchdog points out that in May this year, Georgian Dream made significant changes to the local election system, abolishing the 40% threshold for electing Sakrebulo members through the first-past-the-post system. Now, candidates only need to get the most votes in their district to win. These changes, introduced unilaterally and without consultation, contradict the recommendations of the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR, which stress the importance of stable electoral legislation based on broad consensus and implemented well in advance of elections in order to maintain confidence in the process.
“The latest amendments aim to create an environment to ensure the desired outcome for the ruling party before the municipal elections,” the ISFED says.
ISFED argues that these changes primarily serve Georgian Dream’s partisan interests, undermining electoral fairness and ignoring longstanding recommendations from international and local organizations.
“…In parallel with the resolution of the current political and legal crisis in the country, a complete and comprehensive electoral reform is needed with a broad consensus among the parties and the public, which will create a completely new electoral legal framework that will serve as the basis for both local and new parliamentary elections,” concludes ISFED.
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