2024 Georgian parliamentary elections

The Georgian parliamentary elections 2024 will be held on October 26 to elect the 150 members of Parliament.[1]

As established by the constitutional changes adopted on 26 September 2017, the 2024 elections will mark the transition to a fully proportional system, with a minimum threshold of 5% for parties to enter parliament.[2][3][4] The seat distribution method will be similar to that used in the past:[5] for each party, the votes obtained will be multiplied by 150 and then divided by the sum of the votes of all the parties that have exceeded the threshold, thus determining the number of seats. If, after carrying out these calculations, the total number of seats distributed is still less than 150, the remaining seats will be allocated proportionally among the parties that have passed the threshold.[6]

On February 6, 2023, the Central Election Commission adopted a decree introducing an electronic system for voter registration and voting at most polling stations.[7]

After the 2023 protests in Georgia against the law on foreign agents, the country’s president, Salomé Zourabichvili, promoted the Charter of Georgia, a plan for the next legislature with the aim of meeting the demands of the protesters and bringing the country closer to ‘European Union.[8] Many opposition parties to the Georgian Dream government joined the statute on 4 June 2024.[9]

On June 10, 2024, the Conservative Movement announced that it had reached an agreement with the Alliance of Patriots of Georgia to participate in the October parliamentary elections through its electoral list, thus avoiding the cancellation of the registration of its political branch by the authorities .[10]

The United National Movement signed on 8 July 2024 an agreement to participate in the 2024 parliamentary elections in a coalition with Strategy Builder called Unity – National Movement.[11] On 9 July 2024, Pigna – More Freedom, It’s Time! and News have signed an agreement to participate in the elections in the Coalition for Change.[12] A few days later, on July 17, 2024, Try for Georgia signed a coalition agreement with For the People and the Freedom Square movement.[13] On July 16, Mamuka Mdinaradze, executive secretary of Georgian Dream, announced during his speech at the opening of the election campaign that People’s Power will participate in the parliamentary elections with a common list together with the governing party.[14]

After lengthy negotiations, Cittadini joined the Georgia Strong coalition on August 13.[15] On the 17th of the same month, European Georgia joined the Unity – National Movement coalition, as did the Law and Justice party.[16] On August 18, the inclusion of the Republican Party of Georgia in the Coalition for Change was confirmed.[17]

The Central Election Commission of Georgia refused to register the parties European Socialists, Freedom, Union of Georgian Traditionalists and Generations of Georgia, for failing to submit the 25,000 voter signatures required for registration. Together with them, 7 other parties were rejected.[18]

On 16 September, President Salomé Zourabichvili underlined the need for a “positive third pole” to offer undecided and opposing-leaning voters a clearer option and announced a meeting the following day to complete the final details of the negotiation for a alliance between the Georgia Forte coalition and Giorgi Gakharia’s For Georgia party.[19][20] However, the negotiations collapsed due to various differences, although both said they had laid the foundations for future collaboration.[21]

On September 25, For Georgia presented its electoral list, which included several former Georgian Dream deputies between 2016 and 2020, and the leader of the Conservative Party of Georgia.[22] For its part, Georgia Forte confirmed at an event in Gori that the country’s fourth president, Giorgi Margvelashvili, had joined the coalition. During the event, the former president said the coalition was “what voters have been waiting for for a long time, different from the past two political forces.”[23][24] Presenting its electoral list, the Patriot Alliance included people linked to Georgian Idea and the Christian Democratic Movement, with figures such as their respective leaders, Levan Chachua and Gocha Jojua.[25] In turn, parties such as For Justice or the Green Party of Georgia have confirmed that they will not participate in the 2024 parliamentary elections due to the 5% electoral threshold and to facilitate voting for pro-European options.[26]

Below are the main parties that will participate in the elections and their respective leaders:

1. ^ (IN) President Salome Zurabishvili Sets Parliamentary Election Day for October 26, Speaks About its “Existential” Importancein Civil Georgia, 27 August 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
2. ^ (IN) MPs Pass Constitutional Changes with First Readingin Civil Georgia, 23 June 2017. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
3. ^ (IN) Parliament Approves Constitution on Final Readingin Civil Georgia, 26 September 2017. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
4. ^ (IN) Key Points of Newly Adopted Constitutionin Civil Georgia, 27 September 2017. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
5. ^ (KA) Kote Kandelaki, History of parliamentary electionson პუბლიკა, 30 October 2020. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
6. ^ (IN) ELECTION CODE OF GEORGIAsu LSI “Legislative Herald of Georgia”, 27 dicembre 2011. URL consultato il 17 ottobre 2024.
7. ^ (IN) 90% of Voters Will Vote Electronically in 2024 Parliamentary Electionsin Civil Georgia, 7 February 2023. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
8. ^ (IN) President offers political parties “Georgian Charter”in Georgia Today, May 27, 2024. URL consulted on October 17, 2024.
9. ^ (IN) “Georgian Charter” signed by 17 parties and 5 independent deputiesin Georgia Today, 4 June 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
10. ^ (IN) Georgia’s Alt Info to run in elections with Alliance of Patriotson OC Media, 11 June 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
11. ^ (IN) UNM, Strategy Aghmashenebeli Announce Political Platform: ‘Unity – to Save Georgia’in Civil Georgia, 8 July 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
12. ^ (IN) Ahali, Girchi-More Freedom and Droa Unite Ahead of Pollsin Civil Georgia, 9 July 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
13. ^ (IN) Three More Opposition Groups Join Forces Ahead of Crucial Electionsin Civil Georgia, 17 July 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
14. ^ (IN) Mamuka Mdinaradze: People’s Power will take part in the parliamentary elections with a common list with uson InterPressNews, 16 July 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
15. ^ (IN) Aleko Elisashvili of “Citizens” Joins Coalition “Strong Georgia”in Civil Georgia, 13 August 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
16. ^ (EN) Elene Dobordjginidze, European Georgia Joins Unity-National Movementon 1TV, 17 August 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
17. ^ (EN) CoalitionGEO, We are ecstatic to announce that prominent figures @KhatunaSamnidze and Oktai Kazumovi are joining our Coalition 4 Change! Together we are stronger! #WeBringChange 🇬🇪🇪🇺 (Tweet), on Twitter, X, 18 August 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
18. ^ (KA) Why were the parties of Fridon Injia, Shota Shalelashvili and Akaki Asatiani refused to register in the elections? – CEC issues a statementon Ambebi.GE, 29 August 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
19. ^ (EN) Marika Cartozia, President calls on Mamuka Khazaradze, Giorgi Gakharia to unite their partieson 1TV, 16 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
20. ^ (IN) President Zurabishvili Announces Lelo-led Strong Georgia and Gakharia’s Party to Join Forces for Electionsin Civil Georgia, 16 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
21. ^ (EN) Shota Kincha, Two major opposition groups fail to unite ahead of Georgian electionson OC Media, 19 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
22. ^ (KA) Giorgi Gakharia presented the composition of the party liston Radio Free Europe, 25 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
23. ^ (KA) Giorgi Margvelashvili joined the “Strong Georgia” partyon Radio Free Europe, 25 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
24. ^ (IN) Former President Giorgi Margvelashvili joins the Strong Georgia allianceon OC Media, 25 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
25. ^ (KA) The platoon of the “Patriot Alliance” party list is knownon Radio Free Europe, 26 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.
26. ^ (KA) Gia Gachechiladze, The statement of the “Green Party of Georgia” refused to participate in the “Greens’ Patia” elections!on Facebook, 24 September 2024. URL consulted on 17 October 2024.