The 40% electoral threshold for electing the city council majority deputy may be canceled for the 2025 local self-government elections. This is provided for by the draft law of the ruling Georgian Dream deputies, which will be submitted to the Parliament's Bureau today.
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In the 2021 election code, it was stipulated that a candidate who receives more than 40% of the actual votes cast by participating voters will be considered elected as a member of the city council under the majoritarian electoral system. If none of the candidates received the required number of votes, a second round of elections is held, in which the two candidates with the best results participate. The candidate who receives the most votes in the second round wins.
In the explanatory note of the draft law, it is stated that based on the existing regulations, there are frequent cases where it is necessary to hold a second round of city council elections. This, in turn, hinders the rapid formation of the city council as a representative body and, accordingly, its immediate effective functioning. The authors of the draft law believe that the proposed changes will allow for the convening of the first session of municipal councils in a much shorter time frame.
"This is a remnant of the so-called April 19 Charles Michel agreement. This should be corrected, and every village, city, or settlement should be able to choose its representative through one election, as it happens practically everywhere in the world," said Irakli Kadagishvili, a member of Georgian Dream, about the changes.
The cancellation of the 40% threshold should be more convenient for the opposition. "If they don't agree, let's discuss it as well - whether to keep it or not," said Mdinaradze.
According to the former Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia's party, this initiative confirms that voter confidence in the ruling party is at a historic low:
"Georgian Dream, which deceives us every day by claiming it has a 60% approval rating, actually doesn't even hope for 35%. Passing this law signifies just that. The Dream lost in lies, says one thing and does another. In these actions, the Dream resembles the National Movement. In 2010, right before the self-governance elections, Mikheil Saakashvili abolished the need for at least 30% support to be elected as a majority in the city council. Today, the Dream, driven by hysterical fears of losing power, is following the same path as the National Movement did in the past," said Beka Liluashvili, a member of the For Georgia party.
Georgian Dream will need the support of at least two-thirds (100 MPs) of the full composition of Parliament to make changes to the Election Code.
