2012 Elections Parliament of Georgia

The elections for the 8th Convocation of the Parliament of Georgia took place on 1 October 2012, which the Georgian Dream coalition won. It resulted in the first democratic transfer of power in Georgia, with the defeat of ruling party United National Movement of president Mikheil Saakashvili. The elections also meant the first step in the transition from a presidential to a parliamentary system.

The six party Georgian Dream bloc received 55% of the proportional vote, winning 85 out of 150 seats. Only GD and UNM managed to pass the 5% threshold and all majoritarian single mandate constituencies were won by those two parties. The turnout was 61.3%, which was 8.5% higher compared to 2008. The elections could not be held in the Russian occupied Abkhazia and South Ossetia / Tskhinvali Region, in lack of Georgian control over the regions.

Electoral system

As at previous elections, a mixed system was applied in which citizens cast two votes. Through a proportional party-list vote, with a 5% threshold, 77 of the 150 MPs were elected. The remaining 73 MPs were elected in single mandate majoritarian constituencies with a 30% threshold for the winner. If candidates would fair to pass the 30% bar, a second round run-off between the two best performing candidates should be scheduled within two weeks.¹Civil Georgia, Elections Guide, 30 Sept 2012. In a change to the 2008 elections, independent candidates were allowed to run for parliament in single mandate constituencies. Independent candidates had to be nominated by a so called initiative group of at least five people.²Civil Georgia, 11 Seek Registration as Independent Majoritarian MP Candidate, 6 Aug 2012.

The constituencies of Akhalgori and Liakhvi (combined district for the Eredvi and Kurta municipalities) were eliminated as result of the 2008 Russian-Georgian war and the subsequent loss of Georgian control over these parts of South Ossetia/Tskhinvali. This also meant the single mandate constituencies were reduced from 75 to 73 and the proportional mandates were increased to 77.³Civil Georgia, Election Code Goes into Effect, 13 Jan 2012. The electoral district of Azhar (Upper Abkhazia) in the Kodori Valley of Abkhazia was also abolished, for the same reason as the abolition of the Liakhvi dstrict. Since Upper Abkhazia was not a single mandate constituency, this had no effect on the composition of parliament.

The election districts ranged in size from 5,800 to 163,000 registered voters,⁴Civil Georgia, Number of Voters Per Election District and Region, 7 Aug 2012. an imbalance that was only corrected with the 2016 elections. A total of 3,613,851 voters were registered, the highest number since 1990.⁵Civil Georgia, CEC Reports Largest Number of Voters in 22 Years, 6 Aug 2012. Of these, there were 43,176 voters registered abroad, out of 305,315 citizens listed as being abroad.

Also, for the first time EU citizens were able to vote, of which 116 were registered. A constitutional amendment tailored to Georgian Dream leader Bizdina Ivanishvili, who did not have a Georgian passport yet, made EU citizens eligible to vote of they resided in the previous five years in Georgia.⁶Civil Georgia, CEC: Number of Voters 3,613,851, 29 Sept 2012. In total 3,766 polling stations were established, including 71 for special cases, 45 abroad and two polling stations were established at Georgian military bases in Afghanistan (in Helmand and Shukvani).⁷CESKO, Report On The Parliamentary Elections of Georgia 2012 (pdf), Election Period until the Voting Day, page 18

Parties and candidates

In total 41 political unions applied to the Central Election Commission with a request for the right to participate in the elections.⁸CESKO, Report On The Parliamentary Elections of Georgia 2012 (pdf), page 27-30 Ultimately 14 parties and two election blocs were registered to participate in the elections (see Appendix 1).⁹Civil Georgia, Elections Guide, 30 Sept 2012. The two blocs were Georgian Dream, a coalition of six parties led by Georgian Dream-Democratic Georgia, and Christian-Democratic Union, which consisted of two parties.

The applications of 19 election subjects were refused for a variety of administrative reasons. A total of 2,757 candidates were electable, of which 783 (28%) were female. Of those, 444 candidates took part in the 73 single-mandate races, among them were 60 female and 2 independents.¹⁰OSCE-ODIHR Final Report Election Observation, 2012, page 11¹¹Civil Georgia, List of Majoritarian MP Candidates, 20 Sept 2012. Georgian Dream and United National Movement were the only parties with candidates in all 73 constituencies.

Results

The elections were won by the Georgian Dream coalition with a proportional vote of 55.0%. The bloc obtained a total of 85 of 150 seats in parliament. Ruling United National Movement won the remaining 65 seats. Georgian Dream and the United National Movement were the only electoral subjects that managed to clear the 5% electoral threshold and win seats in parliament. Within the Georgian Dream bloc all parties gained seats: Georgian Dream party (47), Free Democrats (11), Republican party (9), Conservative Party (6), Industry Will Save Georgia (6) and National Forum (6).

As result of the elections, UNM changed from ruling party into the sole opposition party in the new parliament, which was the first democratic change of power in Georgia since its independence.

The table below shows a summary of the official results released by the Central Election Commission CESKO, split by the proportional vote and the totals of the majoritarian district vote (more details in Appendix 1).

Single mandate constituencies

Georgian Dream won 41 of the 73 single mandate constituencies, with UNM winning the other 32. No runoff was required as all leading candidates received 47% or more of the votes, thereby passing the 30% threshold. In all districts the main contenders were candidates of GD and UNM, with other candidates playing a marginal role.

The cities were the driver behind the political change. All single mandate constituencies of the four major cities Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and Rustavi were won by Georgian Dream candidates with a clear margin. The cities represented 38% of registered voters. UNM maintained support in Mingrelia, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions, winning with a large margin from GD.

In Sachkhere, home district of GD founder Bidzina Ivanishvili, support for GD candidate Manana Kobakhidze was near unanimous (92.7%). It was by far the highest score for GD in a district. The district also had the second highest turnout (see below). UNM secured significant wins with more than 50% margin in Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe Javakheti regions. At the other end of the scale, the margin was less than 100 votes in Baghdati and Kharagauli districts (both in Imereti) for the winning candidates of GD.

Turnout

The national turnout was 61.1%, which was 8.5% higher than in the 2008 election. In capital Tbilisi, with nearly 30% of the electorate, the turnout was 63.4%. The turnout varied between 35% and 78% per electoral district, with both ends being outliers (see appendix 3). In half of the districts the turnout was within a 5% bandwidth from the average, representing half of the votes.

The lowest turnout by far was noted in Tsalka district (#25), while the highest turnouts were noted in Tbilisi’s Mtatsminda district (#1) and Sachkhere (#50). The latter is the hometown of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. Regionally, the turnout was significantly lower in the South of the country, specifically in Kvemo Kartli region.

Aftermath

The elections resulted in the first democratic transfer of power in independent Georgia, after having experienced a coup in 1991-1992 and a revolution in 2003. Since the term of president Saakashvili would end only in October 2013, the Georgian government had a year of so called cohabitation. Georgian Dream leader Bidzina Ivanishvili indicated during power handover talks he rather had president Saakashvili resign.¹⁵Civil Georgia, Meeting of the Rivals amid ‘Most of Power’ Handover, 7 Oct 2012 Which he didn’t.

On 25 October 2012, a new cabinet was sworn in, which was led by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. He formed a cabinet with 20 ministers and deputy ministers. Georgian Dream had seven posts, while Free Democrats had four cabinet posts. The Republicans and National Forum each had one cabinet post. The other parties of the bloc were not represented in the cabinet and seven cabinet members were non-partisan.¹⁶Civil Georgia, Ivanishvili Confirmed as Prime Minister, 25 Oct 2012 Republican leader David Usupashvili became Speaker of Parliament.¹⁷Civil Georgia, New Parliament Speaker Elected, 21 Oct 2012

The Georgian Dream coalition eventually formed three parliamentary factions: the liberal Free Democrats and Republican Party formed their own factions of 11 and 9 MPs respectively, while the other four parties of the coalition united in the Georgian Dream faction with 65 MPs. UNM also formed three factions: a faction of 46 MPs and two factions of 7 MPs. Five other MPs from the UNM remained outside one of these factions.¹⁸Civil Georgia, Six Factions Formed in New Parliament, 21 Oct 2012

Appendix

3. Single-mandate constituencies

The electoral districts with number of registered voters, actual votes and the turnout. Tbilisi was divided in 10 districts.

#	District	Voters	Votes	Turnout	Valid Prop.	Valid Maj.
1	Tbilisi – Mtatsminda	52,370	40,727	77.8%
2	Tbilisi – Vake	99,241	72,637	73.2%
3	Tbilisi – Saburtalo	128,545	92,184	71.7%
4	Tbilisi – Krtsanisi	47,039	27,341	58.1%
5	Tbilisi – Isani	117,804	65,159	55.3%
6	Tbilisi – Samgori	154,621	88,906	57.5%
7	Tbilisi – Chugureti	58,807	37,524	63.8%
8	Tbilisi – Didube	71,663	50,194	70.0%
9	Tbilisi – Nadzaladevi	140,467	87,131	62.0%
10	Tbilisi – Gldani	154,898	89,280	57.6%
11	Sagarejo	45,774	24,954	54.5%
12	Gurjaani	55,334	37,344	67.5%
13	Sighnaghi	31,767	21,476	67.6%
14	Dedoplistskaro	23,131	14,334	62.0%
15	Lagodekhi	39,808	23,912	60.1%
16	Kvareli	29,623	20,473	69.1%
17	Telavi	57,940	35,473	61.2%
18	Akhmeta	30,822	18,493	60.0%
19	Tianeti	11,157	7,593	68.1%
20	Rustavi	110,544	66,492	60.1%
21	Gardabani	74,268	39,234	52.8%
22	Marneuli	98,762	43,847	44.4%
23	Bolnisi	57,971	28,213	48.7%
24	Dmanisi	22,927	12,254	53.4%
25	Tsalka	24,357	8,545	35.1%
26	Tetritskaro	22,055	11,992	54.4%
27	Mtskheta	44,402	30,131	67.9%
28	Dusheti	26,458	16,687	63.1%
29	Kazbegi	5,810	3,490	60.1%
30	Kaspi	40,367	24,641	61.0%
32	Gori	112,291	71,787	63.9%
33	Kareli	37,572	23,049	61.3%
35	Khashuri	50,323	25,883	51.4%
36	Borjomi	27,567	18,022	65.4%
37	Akhaltsikhe	36,407	23,048	63.3%
38	Adigeni	15,675	11,008	70.2%
39	Aspindza	9,910	7,325	73.9%
40	Akhalkalaki	40,814	22,328	54.7%
41	Ninotsminda	22,811	13,708	60.1%
43	Oni	6,885	4,686	68.1%
44	Ambrolauri	12,111	8,950	73.9%
45	Tsageri	11,962	8,369	70.0%
46	Lentekhi	5,988	4,075	68.1%
47	Mestia	8,469	5,889	69.5%
48	Kharagauli	20,328	15,229	74.9%
49	Terjola	34,711	24,444	70.4%
50	Sachkhere	44,184	34,160	77.3%
51	Zestafoni	57,050	38,127	66.8%
52	Baghdadi	23,360	14,889	63.7%
53	Vani	26,818	17,404	64.9%
54	Samtredia	48,362	31,932	66.0%
55	Khoni	24,231	16,285	67.2%
56	Chiatura	45,226	29,724	65.7%
57	Tkibuli	23,841	14,937	62.7%
58	Tskaltubo	53,323	31,250	58.6%
59	Kutaisi	162,732	90,752	55.8%
60	Ozurgeti	64,365	43,293	67.3%
61	Lanchkhuti	30,130	22,125	73.4%
62	Chokhatauri	18,809	13,641	72.5%
63	Abasha	22,024	14,612	66.3%
64	Senaki	42,710	25,504	59.7%
65	Martvili	34,558	20,675	59.8%
66	Khobi	29,422	18,643	63.4%
67	Zugdidi	128,470	60,599	47.2%
68	Tsalenjikha	32,058	16,810	52.4%
69	Chkhorotsku	23,127	14,902	64.4%
70	Poti	41,565	24,648	59.3%
79	Batumi	133,951	80,405	60.0%
80	Keda	15,751	11,273	71.6%
81	Kobuleti	69,239	40,071	57.9%
82	Shuakhevi	15,157	9,791	64.6%
83	Khelvachauri	46,597	28,076	60.3%
84	Khulo	24,235	14,696	60.6%
87	Abroad	43,176	7,815	18.1%
Total39This is the actual sum of the registered voters and submitted votes per constituency. CESKO reported a grand total of 2,215,661 votes, including a total of 7,815 votes abroad, which leaves a gap of 161 votes.		3,613,851	2,207,685	61.1%
Sources: CESKO40CESKO, Dashboard 2012 elections41CESKO, Summary protocol of the results of the elections of the Parliament of Georgia on October 1, 2012 (pdf)42CESKO, Total number of voters according to electoral districts (pdf)

References and footnotes

• 1
  Civil Georgia, Elections Guide, 30 Sept 2012.
• 2
  Civil Georgia, 11 Seek Registration as Independent Majoritarian MP Candidate, 6 Aug 2012.
• 3
  Civil Georgia, Election Code Goes into Effect, 13 Jan 2012.
• 4
  Civil Georgia, Number of Voters Per Election District and Region, 7 Aug 2012.
• 5
  Civil Georgia, CEC Reports Largest Number of Voters in 22 Years, 6 Aug 2012.
• 6
  Civil Georgia, CEC: Number of Voters 3,613,851, 29 Sept 2012.
• 7
  CESKO, Report On The Parliamentary Elections of Georgia 2012 (pdf), Election Period until the Voting Day, page 18
• 8
  CESKO, Report On The Parliamentary Elections of Georgia 2012 (pdf), page 27-30
• 9
  Civil Georgia, Elections Guide, 30 Sept 2012.
• 10
  OSCE-ODIHR Final Report Election Observation, 2012, page 11
• 11
  Civil Georgia, List of Majoritarian MP Candidates, 20 Sept 2012.
• 12
  The Republican Party had 2 seats and the Conservative Party had 1 seat in the previous parliament.
• 13
  CESKO, Dashboard 2012 elections
• 14
  CESKO, Report On The Parliamentary Elections of Georgia 2012 (pdf), Final results, page 60-64
• 15
  Civil Georgia, Meeting of the Rivals amid ‘Most of Power’ Handover, 7 Oct 2012
• 16
  Civil Georgia, Ivanishvili Confirmed as Prime Minister, 25 Oct 2012
• 17
  Civil Georgia, New Parliament Speaker Elected, 21 Oct 2012
• 18
  Civil Georgia, Six Factions Formed in New Parliament, 21 Oct 2012
• 19
  Within the coalition, the Republican Party and the Conservative Party had already seats in the previous parliament.
• 20
  This is the actual sum of the reported individual results. The CESKO reported grand total of 2,215,661 votes, minus the reported 62,874 invalid votes reveals an unreported gap of 2,590 (see below).
• 21
  There seems to be 2,590 votes missing from the equation in the CESKO reporting.
• 22
  CESKO, Summary protocol, 2012
• 23
  CESKO, Registered Election Subjects, 2012
• 24
  Civil Georgia, GD Parliamentary Majority Leader Becomes CEO of Partnership Fund, 23 September 2015
• 25
  Civil Georgia, New Secretary of NSC Appointed, 21 November 2013
• 26
  Civil Georgia, Reshuffled Cabinet Wins Confidence Vote, 9 May 2015
• 27
  Parliament of  Georgia, Funeral of Tamaz Avdaliani Today, 3 February 2015
• 28
  Civil Georgia, By-Election after Death of UNM MP to Be held in Martvili in October, 18 March 2015
• 29
  Civil Georgia, By-Election after Death of UNM MP to Be held in Martvili in October, 18 March 2015
• 30
  Civil Georgia, Reshuffled Cabinet Wins Confidence Vote, 9 May 2015
• 31
  Civil Georgia, By-Election after Death of UNM MP to Be held in Martvili in October, 18 March 2015
• 32
  Report On The Parliamentary Elections of Georgia 2012 (pdf), Final results page 60-64
• 33
  Parliament of Georgia, members of the 8th Convocation
• 34
  Civil Georgia, Parliament Endorses Credentials of Ten New MPs, 13 November 2012.
• 35
  Civil Georgia, Three New MPs Join Parliament, 20 May 2013
• 36
  Civil Georgia, MP Switches Parliament Factions in Favor of Republicans, 13 May 2013
• 37
  Civil Georgia, New Parliamentary Faction Established, 29 May 2013.
• 38
  Civil Georgia, MP By-Elections Early Results: Tight Race in Sagarejo, GD in Lead in Martvili, 1 November 2015
• 39
  This is the actual sum of the registered voters and submitted votes per constituency. CESKO reported a grand total of 2,215,661 votes, including a total of 7,815 votes abroad, which leaves a gap of 161 votes.
• 40
  CESKO, Dashboard 2012 elections
• 41
  CESKO, Summary protocol of the results of the elections of the Parliament of Georgia on October 1, 2012 (pdf)
• 42
  CESKO, Total number of voters according to electoral districts (pdf)