Election models

Fifteen qualified opposition parties, those who managed to gather at least 3% of votes in the last elections, held a presentation on the model of presidential, parliamentary and local government elections with experts and the head of the Presidential Administration, Giorgi Abashishvili.

The chairman of the New Rights party, Mamuka Katsitadze, told reporters that the model was agreed upon between 15 qualified parties as a result of consultations with experts and the civil sector.

“The electoral system in Georgia really needs to be changed. We support the maintenance of direct presidential elections. As for parliamentary elections, we wholly back proportional elections as a system,” said Katsitadze.

The model was developed by the New Rights, New Georgia, New Christian-Democrats, United Democratic Movement, Democratic Movement - United Georgia, the European Democrats, the National Forum, Free Democrats, Free Georgia, Freedom, Labour Party, State for People, the Alliance of Patriots, the Union of Traditionalists, and the Political Movement of Veterans and Patriots.

Georgia’s election system really needs to be changed, and the current ruling Georgian Dream team members have also spoke out about the necessity before the 2012 parliamentary elections before they defeated the nine-year rule of the United National Movement government.

However, after coming to power, the Georgian Dream party postponed key changes in the election system, which would give a chance to smaller parties to appear in Parliament in 2020.

However, one cannot be sure that the changes will be carried out in 2020, as ruling parties generally avoid any changes that may reduce their chances of winning.

With regards to the presidential elections, many of those who back Georgia to be a parliamentary republic also support the president’s direct election and constitutional powers being returned to the President.

Yet this begs the question as to why Georgia would move to a new model while simultaneously supporting an older system.

The situation is quite complicated and confusing, on one hand some political powers insist on the Presidents retaining significant power, on the other Parliamentary majority want to get hold of these powers. Maybe, it is better to refrain for time being changing the election system and study deeper the issue so that the state avoid further complications.