Georgia ruling party seeks to remove 40% municipal election barrier
Georgia‘s ruling party has proposed legislative changes to eliminate the 40-percent electoral threshold for majority candidates in municipal assemblies (city councils). This means a candidate will be considered elected if they receive the most votes.
Under the current version of the law, based on the majority electoral system, a candidate is deemed elected as a member of the city council if they get not just more votes than their competitors, but at least 40 percent.
If no candidate crosses the 40-percent threshold, a second round of elections is held.
This threshold was established in 2021.
According to the new bill, there will be no second round of elections, which will allow the first session of municipal councils to be convened much more quickly.
Additionally, a new article will be added to the election law, allowing a party to appoint a parliamentary candidate as a delegate from voters registered in the electoral district.
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The non-governmental organization Transparency International Georgia (TI) has urged the Georgian parliament not to pass the bill.
According to the organization’s assessment, such a change increases the likelihood of electing a city council deputy who was voted against by more voters than those who supported him. This, in turn, increases the risk that the will expressed by the voters will not be adequately reflected in the mandates.
Also, according to TI, eliminating the second rounds of majority elections will increase the risk of voters losing their votes, and supporters of opposition parties participating in the elections will lose the chance to support a united opposition candidate in the second round.
