In January, Georgia's new president will be elected not by the people, but by a special panel. How will this work?
Who will choose Georgia’s next president?
The final results of the October 26 elections in Georgia (which the ruling party believes have already been decided, though the opposition and the country’s Western partners have yet to recognize their legitimacy) will determine not only the composition of parliament but also who will become the next, sixth president of Georgia.
For the first time, the president will be elected not through a nationwide vote, but by a special electoral commission.
This raises a number of questions:
- What is the electoral commission?
- Who will nominate the candidates?
- How will the process unfold?
- Who will oversee it?
- Will the opposition have a fair say, given that opposition parties in parliament have claimed election fraud and refuse to recognize the legitimacy of the new parliament?
JAMnews sought to answer these questions with Shota Narsia, a researcher at the non-governmental organization “International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy” (ISFED).
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What does it mean that the people will no longer elect the president?
Two documents provide the guidelines for electing the president of Georgia: the Constitution and the Electoral Code.
Article 50 of the Constitution states that the president of Georgia must be elected by a special electoral commission through an open vote, without debates. This change was introduced in 2017 and took effect in 2024. Therefore, this will be the first time this process is used.
As a result, the current president, Salome Zourabichvili, will be the last president elected through a popular vote. She has held the office since December 16, 2018.
The office of president was first established in Georgia in 1991. To date, the country has had five presidents: Zviad Gamsakhurdia (1991-1992), Eduard Shevardnadze (1995-2003), Mikheil Saakashvili (2004-2013), Giorgi Margvelashvili (2013-2018), and Salome Zourabichvili (2018-2024).
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Who can become president of Georgia?
According to the Constitution, any person who is at least 40 years old and has lived in Georgia for at least 15 years can become president.
For how long will the president of Georgia be elected?
As before, the president of Georgia is elected for a term of 5 years.
What will the status of the elected president be? Has anything changed in this regard?
No. There has been no change in this regard. The Constitution states that the president is the head of state, the guarantor of the unity of the country, and the national independence.
The president is also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Georgian Defense Forces and represents the country in foreign relations.
Now, back to the election process.
Who will be part of the electoral college that will elect Georgia's new president?
The electoral college will consist of 300 people.
This includes:
- All 150 members of parliament,
- All 20 deputies of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia (operating in exile),
- All 21 deputies of the Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara,
- 109 representatives from local self-government bodies (Sakrebulo).
More on this last point in the next section.
How are the 109 representatives from Sakrebulo selected for the electoral college?
The selection process for this group is quite complex. There are two main rules:
- The selection is made according to special quotas. Each party that received at least one percent of the vote in local government elections nominates candidates based on this percentage.
- The law requires that all regions of the country be represented among the 109 electors from local authorities.
The last local government elections were held in 2021. The individuals who won in those elections will elect the new president.
In short, the 109 electors from local government will include 54 delegates from the “Georgian Dream” party and 55 from the opposition.
The 55 opposition delegates are distributed as such:
- “United National Movement” — 36 delegates,
- “Gakharia for Georgia” — 9,
- “Lelo” — 4,
- “European Georgia” — 2,
- “Strategy Aghmashenebeli” — 1,
- “Alliance of Patriots” — 1,
- “Labor Party” — 1,
- “Girchi – More Freedom” — 1.
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Can any party choose not to nominate a delegate?
Of course, a party has the right not to nominate a delegate to the electoral college if it chooses not to.
It is also possible that a party which won in the 2021 local elections no longer has a “representative” in Sakrebulo. They could have switched to another party or become an independent.
In such cases, the remaining seats in the 109-seat quota will be proportionally redistributed among the other parties, based on the percentage of votes they received.
In the new parliament, according to the law, there must be 150 deputies. But what will happen if the opposition follows through on its current statements and refuses to take their mandates? How will these seats in the electoral college be filled?
In this case, it is important whether the mandates of the opposition deputies are officially terminated. If, by the day of the presidential election, the opposition has not completed the formal procedures for ending their mandates, they will still be counted in the electoral college.
However, it is not enough for only those at the top of the party lists to refuse their mandates. By law, the next candidates on the list will automatically take their place.
If every person listed in the party lists announces their refusal to take a mandate and this is formally confirmed, the remaining seats in the electoral college will be filled by representatives from local self-government bodies (Sakrebulo).
Again, each party will have the right to nominate delegates in proportion to their share of the vote in the 2021 local government elections.
Does this mean that the ruling "Georgian Dream" will have even more members in the electoral college?
Yes, that’s likely to happen.
Currently, “Georgian Dream” holds 89 seats in the electoral college from the parliamentary quota and 54 seats from the Sakrebulo quota.
It is also likely that 41 deputies from the Supreme Councils of the Autonomous Republics of Abkhazia and Adjara will be added, as many of them are believed to be loyal to the ruling party.
Additionally, the number of delegates from Sakrebulo will increase.
Who nominates a presidential candidate? Will the opposition be able to nominate its own candidate?
Candidates for president are selected by the same electoral college. Each candidacy must be supported by at least 30 members of the electoral college.
Each member of the college can support only one candidate. This means that no deputy can participate in multiple groups of 30 people supporting different candidates.
When will the presidential elections take place?
The Constitution of Georgia states that the election of a new president must take place in October of the year when the term of the previous president ends.
However, if this coincides with parliamentary elections, the constitution provides a regulation. In this case, the election of a new president must take place within 45 days after the first session of the new parliament.
Therefore, the timing of the presidential election depends on the new parliament.
This could happen in 2024. If a second round of elections is required, Georgia is likely to have a new president by January 2025.
The ruling “Georgian Dream” asserts that the first session of parliament, during which its powers will be confirmed, will take place on November 25, in accordance with the law. This statement is contradicted by two lawsuits filed in the Constitutional Court demanding the annulment of the results of the October 26 elections.
On November 21, the “Georgian Dream” political council met. The composition of the future government was discussed. Party executive secretary Mamuka Mdinaradze told reporters after the meeting that they had not yet decided on a presidential candidate, noting “there are many versions.” The date for the presidential election will be announced soon, Mdinaradze said.
Who will choose Georgia’s next president?
