One year before Georgia’s parliamentary election, a new draft election code has been submitted for analysis to the European Commission for Democracy through Law, also known as the Venice Commission.

The new draft code is expected to replace Georgia’s current election code, which was approved in 2001 and has been amended over 40 times. The significance of a new election code is magnified by the fact that Georgian parliamentarians, to be elected in October 2012, will serve under an amended constitution which increases the power of Georgia’s parliament and prime minister (appointed by parliament), while diminishing those of the president.

The constitutional amendment is expected to go into effect on 1 December 2013.

The legitimacy of elected officials will mostly depend on the level of public trust in, and integrity of, the infrastructure that brought these officials to power. In light of this, Georgia stands at a critical juncture, where a fundamental component of its infrastructure – the election code – is being reviewed, refined and finalized.   

In order to promote inclusiveness and increase voter awareness of this review process, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) supported three Georgian organizations in their efforts to draft and publicize an opinion paper on the new draft electoral code.  

The Georgian Young Lawyers Association, the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and Transparency International – Georgia wrote a joint opinion paper outlining their viewpoints on the new draft legislation. This was presented to other Georgian stakeholders and the general public on 30 September.

The paper covered a wide range of issues such as election administration, dispute resolution, punitive measures for violations, political finance, using administrative resources, the election system and the voter list. More than 70 representatives of political parties, civil society organizations, the media and the international community attended the public presentation and actively participated in the discussion, designed to boost public involvement and awareness of electoral issues.

The verdict is still out on how and what changes will be made to the current draft law before it is voted on in parliament. Much will depend on the Venice Commission’s impending response and how drafters of the new code will address not only concerns and recommendations from the Venice Commission but also from Georgia’s citizens and civil society community.   

Earlier this year, in July, these three organizations, along with new Generation new Initiative, presented Georgian citizens’ recommendations on electoral reform from public debates and discussions supported by IFES. These events engaged nearly 1,400 citizens across 16 Georgian municipalities.

The September opinion paper on the new draft law can be read here.

The July recommendations and additional information on the four organizations are available here.