What’s happening in Georgia’s elections?
Today, October 26, parliamentary elections for the 11th convocation are taking place in Georgia. Polling stations opened at 8:00 AM.
Many local and international observers believe these elections are critically important for the country and will effectively determine Georgia’s future direction. The main opponents are:
● On one side is the ruling party, Georgian Dream, and its honorary chairman, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili (he is the first on the party list). This party is viewed by many in the local community and in the West as anti-Western and pro-Russian.
The European Union and the United States are outraged by the recent adoption of anti-democratic laws regarding “foreign agents” and against “LGBT propaganda,” as well as the anti-Western disinformation spread by representatives of the government and the ruling party. Sanctions have been imposed on dozens of officials, and both the EU and the US have partially suspended financial assistance to Georgia.
● Opposing the ruling party is a united opposition centered around a pro-Western agenda. This includes four alliances and several parties. All of them state that their primary goal is to ensure Georgia’s accession to the European Union, which is also enshrined in Georgia’s Constitution.
For the first time, parliamentary elections will be conducted using a fully proportional system— all 150 parliamentary seats will be allocated proportionally among electoral entities that surpass the 5% electoral threshold.
Also, for the first time, the parliamentary elections on October 26 will be electronic. Approximately 90% of voters will cast their ballots using electronic devices.
According to the Central Election Commission, the total number of voters is 3,508,294. Of these, 3,113,747 voters will participate in the elections using electronic technology.
Read JAMnews’ overview of election statistics, new rules, and other interesting facts about the elections.
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Here is a brief explanation of the circumstances under which the current opposition would form a government, as well as when the country would remain under a single-party government formed by the “Georgian Dream.”
This year, observers will be present at all polling stations, both in Georgia and abroad, without exception.
Initiated by non-governmental organizations, a new civic campaign has emerged alongside experienced observation missions, training hundreds of volunteers from various professions, ages, and backgrounds on the specifics of election observation.
Here is a comprehensive overview on this topic.
